Composer Václav Hálek first heard music, complete songs, when staring at a mushroom in 1980. Since then, he has created almost 6000 mushroom inspired pieces for everything from piano to violin. He says that when he looks at a mushroom, he just hears the music playing in his head and is able to instantly transcribe the melody and the music in real time.
And I thought I loved mushrooms! But this claim and deed of Václav Hálek is not one that exists in a vacuum. There is a most mysterious air about when one is deeply interacting with the fungi. Do you have experiences yourself with seemingly inexplicable or unexplained synchronicity events around fungi? Paul Stamets himself catches flack from the most ardent science-based mycologists for his claims of "divine" connections, and yet, here he is, producing discovery after discovery of the properties of thousands of Fungi, some of the most incredible realizations inspired from his liminal dream state, the place your mind goes just before waking up. |
Zachary Hunter
Zachary Hunter is a lifelong devotee to flavor, a professionally trained chef who has been obsessed with mushrooms and uncovering the unknown with regards to edible mushroom chemistry and physiology. He is a member of the NAMA's (North American Mycological Association) Culinary Committee. He lives in Oaxaca, Mexico with his wife Kimberly Hunter--known collectively as the "Mushroom Hunters"--where they offer experiential immersions: artisan-maker intensives as Traveling Traders Bazaar and Mushroom adventures as The Fungivore. 2024 will be their sixth season curating adventures together in Mexico. Learn more at TheFungivore.com or TravelingTradersBazaar.com Archives
April 2024
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