Oh Shitake!

I've always loved mushrooms. Mmm Mmm Mmm Mushrooms! We go through at least a couple pounds a week at our house, not to mention the odd cans of mushrooms in escabeche that I eat with particular frenzy. I even visited the "mushroom capital of the world" last week.

So imagine my delight at purchasing a 1 lb bag of dried pre-sliced shitakes for my degustation. Alas! Alack! This delight turned to horror. It appears that I have no love for the shitake, despite several previous enjoyable encounters.

The other night I added a healthy portion of rehydrated shitakes to my smofu (smoked tofu) sweet and sour stir fry. It tasted a bit odd that night...but nevertheless was satisfying. Unfortunately the effect was disasterous on the leftovers. Imagine my horror at discovering the leftovers I was looking forward to for lunch were totally unpalatable.

The taste of shitake funk was so heavy and overpowering I went into a shuddering and involuntary revulsion that my body usually reserves only for things like spoiled milk, liver, and highly groomed and incredibly self-important suburban mumsies.

Oh god. This means I will now have to be ever vigilante against vigilante shitakes....just one more danger in a world fraught with them.