“Do you work in music?” asked the guy behind the glass at the main Oakland post office.
I looked down at the workout gear I was wearing, looking for the clue that might have made him ask the question. “No,” I said. “I work right downtown.” Which, I might point out, comes only tangentially close to answering his question, which seemed a little odd in the first place. I was, after all, just trying to mail a package.
“You work downtown?” he asked. “If I gave you a poster, could you put it up at your workplace?”
We had, prior to this, had a conversation about the number of people who knew nothing about geography, so perhaps that built a level of artificial camaraderie? Regardless, I could feel my face arranging itself into an incredulous look.
“It’s a really nice poster,” he said. He scurried over to a low wall at the edge of his work area and reached over it. “Here it is.”
“Oh, the Fungus Fair!” My relief heightened my level of perceived excitement. I mean, mushrooms are exciting, but at the time, I was more excited that it wasn’t a poster advertising a performance by the guy’s cover band.
The Fungus Fair will take place over the weekend at the Oakland Museum of California, which is a surprisingly odd and interesting and fun museum. To enjoy all things shroomy, including exhibits, fresh wild mushrooms, lectures, cooking demonstrations and other family activities, head to 10th and Oak Streets in Oakland between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturday, December 6 or noon and 5 p.m. on Sunday, December 7.
I’m more likely to show up on Sunday, but I’m planning to go check out some of the demonstrations. And possibly the old school scifi mushroom-as-monster films they’ll be airing. (For real, people. For real. Attack of the Killer Shrooms and all that jazz.)
After all, I am, apparently, the Poster Girl.
on Dec 3rd, 2008 at 3:29 pm
I visited the Fungus Fair twice in recent years and highly recommend it. If Mother Nature has cooperated with the right amount of rain and heat (or cold?), the Fungus Fair will have table after table of recently collected fungi from California (perhaps numbering into the hundreds of species), plus exhibits about such things as lichen, using mushrooms as dye, medicinal uses, and more. Fungus aficionados are quite passionate about their field, so the crowd is interesting and knowledgeable. The talks and demos can be good too.
on Dec 3rd, 2008 at 5:26 pm
The one time I was out San Francisco way, I met up with a college friend and we searched high and low for a specific mushroom in Chinatown. I’m sending her this info. Thanks!
on Dec 3rd, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Ree, a mushroom in Chinatown? In the wild or in a store?
on Dec 3rd, 2008 at 9:13 pm
Marc, I know of at least one person I’m following on Twitter who lives down near San Jose, I think, and who’s planning on taking a big ol’ mushroom up to the Fair…I’m going to see if I can scope it out while I’m there on Sunday afternoon. Should be cool — I’m looking forward to it!
on Dec 3rd, 2008 at 9:34 pm
genie, i hate to say it but this fungus fair sounds like my worst nightmare! the only thing i hate more than mushrooms is meat–and that’s a terribly pain-in-the-ass fate for a vegetarian. i do think they are strangely beautiful–just not for eating. after this weekend when you become a mushroom expert, clue me in to this thing i’ve been hearing about them containing something strangely of the animal kingdom. it will help my defense…
oh, and by the way, the new trick to getting a comment to post on your blog is not listing my website, because according to blogger, i am not an authorized user of my own blog. interesting. i wonder who keeps posting all that drivel, then?! nice that i can blame someone else!
on Dec 4th, 2008 at 6:09 am
Kitty Joe, that’s so bizarre about the commenting…SO bizarre. But yes, convenient with the blaming.
And I have met more vegetarians lately who hate mushrooms (probably because all the meat-eaters force the shrooms on the veg-eaters…among other reasons…)! It is totally a pain-in-the-ass. I love them…particularly if they’re sauteed in olive oil and wine. And served over a steak. ;-)
on Dec 5th, 2008 at 9:09 am
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