Who was the first person to eat taro (Colocasia esculenta)? If you don’t cook the stuff, you risk throat, mouth, and esophagus irritation from calcium oxalate crystals in the plant. Who was the second person to eat taro after he or she saw what it did to the first person?
Was the second consumption of taro a conscious act? Centuries ago, was the second taro-eater a Polynesian “scientist” who said, “Maybe if we cook this stuff….” And then who thought to put the stuff on the skin to heal insect bites or to ingest the stuff to relieve stomach ailments?
Modern Hawaiians consume a bunch of taro, but less than they did fifty years ago. Known as kalo (and by many other names), taro is rich in vitamins, starch, and even amino acids. The stuff appears to be good for people; we know that now. But back to the original question: Who in Polynesia was that first eater? Did he or she eat on a dare? “Hey, Leiko, bet you a pineapple that you can’t eat that plant. Aulii, come see what Leiko is going to do.”
Dopamine. Could Leiko have eaten the kalo just for the dopamine flooding that results from taking a risk? She could not have known about the calcium oxalate crystals, so her taking the dare was definitely risky. Obviously, she survived, and subsequently, the Polynesians carried Colocasia esculenta to Hawaii, where it became an important part of the diet.
Jacques Garmerin, parachuting from a balloon. Wright Brothers, flying a heavier-than-air vehicle. Chuck Yeager, breaking the sound barrier. Leiko (or whoever), eating kalo. Not everyone can be the “first.” Take a moment to consider how many “firsts” there have been so that you don’t have to take a risk.
It’s a dangerous planet with all its organisms, both plant and animal, having both offensive and defensive mechanisms built into their very nature. It’s a dangerous planet with gravity directing everything downward at 9.8 meters per second squared. Calcium oxalate crystals are relatively minor nuisances in the grand scheme of things; nevertheless, the first taro-eater had no way of knowing the degree of risk. Was the first eating of that plant a gutsy or dumb action?
How do you assess the risks you take or avoid? Do you reason? Do you guess? Do you think of the consequences? Do you hope to wash your brain in a flood of dopamine?
Was the second consumption of taro a conscious act? Centuries ago, was the second taro-eater a Polynesian “scientist” who said, “Maybe if we cook this stuff….” And then who thought to put the stuff on the skin to heal insect bites or to ingest the stuff to relieve stomach ailments?
Modern Hawaiians consume a bunch of taro, but less than they did fifty years ago. Known as kalo (and by many other names), taro is rich in vitamins, starch, and even amino acids. The stuff appears to be good for people; we know that now. But back to the original question: Who in Polynesia was that first eater? Did he or she eat on a dare? “Hey, Leiko, bet you a pineapple that you can’t eat that plant. Aulii, come see what Leiko is going to do.”
Dopamine. Could Leiko have eaten the kalo just for the dopamine flooding that results from taking a risk? She could not have known about the calcium oxalate crystals, so her taking the dare was definitely risky. Obviously, she survived, and subsequently, the Polynesians carried Colocasia esculenta to Hawaii, where it became an important part of the diet.
Jacques Garmerin, parachuting from a balloon. Wright Brothers, flying a heavier-than-air vehicle. Chuck Yeager, breaking the sound barrier. Leiko (or whoever), eating kalo. Not everyone can be the “first.” Take a moment to consider how many “firsts” there have been so that you don’t have to take a risk.
It’s a dangerous planet with all its organisms, both plant and animal, having both offensive and defensive mechanisms built into their very nature. It’s a dangerous planet with gravity directing everything downward at 9.8 meters per second squared. Calcium oxalate crystals are relatively minor nuisances in the grand scheme of things; nevertheless, the first taro-eater had no way of knowing the degree of risk. Was the first eating of that plant a gutsy or dumb action?
How do you assess the risks you take or avoid? Do you reason? Do you guess? Do you think of the consequences? Do you hope to wash your brain in a flood of dopamine?
RSS Feed