The history of gastronomy amazes me. Seriously.
Even something as simple as rice. How was it decided that we take ear of this plant and eat it. ‘No wait, that’s awful, what if we put some fire under some water and boil this thing first, and then eat it?’ This obviously took lots of trial and error. And thousands of years to perfect.
Someone suggested that simply being starving and grabbing the first thing to eat so your stomach wouldn’t hurt would explain everything. While this is a viable theory, it’s missing the taste and constant experimentation (and death!) elements out, so it’s rather unexciting. Why didn’t boiled tree bark end up on the menu as a staple? Or was it at some time and it was removed or replaced with Hot Mud Drink? I’m not even including fishing and hunting in the equation (we have to catch that thing over there and kill it first, and maybe it will taste good?).
Apparently, rice has been cultivated in Asia for over 10,000 years. Think about that. Humanity has been researching and adjusting its diet for over 10,000 years to get to where it is at today.
Admittedly, I am not a foodie. I don’t care too much about the supreme quality of taste and I am not snobbish when it comes to what goes in my mouth. I am adventurous enough to know that raw Horse 馬刺し (basashi) tastes really good, and I would like to eat it again. However, when it comes to Hot Dog, Pizza, or Salad, my stomach can’t tell the difference.
I don’t want to hear any drivel from one of the richer countries in the world about how organic stuff is good for you and preservatives are bad. Any food on your plate that isn’t tree bark or hot mud drink is good for you. Be happy for that. 
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I know french people eating Snails (TM) can be explained somehow.
But mushrooms? Let’s see if this one tastes great or kills you? Fugu? Yeah, I know it’s deadly but what if I prepare it differently?
You’re imagining that it was common knowledge that everyone shared about their food and put it into newspapers that weren’t invented yet
Simply starving in the middle of a forest and grabbing a mushroom to eat so your stomach wouldn’t hurt might explain it. After hallucinating for a bit, they found they weren’t hungry and tried again
I think there was a fire craze for awhile too. Hey, what if I set this on fire? And *then* eat it? ‘Mmm it tastes like there was a reaction between amino acids and sugar, perhaps carbohydrates are broken down into dextrose!’
It was more likely that after thousands of years of going through all the trouble of catching Fugu and dying, that someone unknowingly didn’t die *by accident* and found it to be so tasty, that he told someone about it and tried again (possibly dying on the second time, but damn it was worth it).
I actually have a theory for Fugu and other lethal foods. I think they were used by the aristochracy to kill each other. This involved of course cooking and presenting it nicely to the victim. But then they realized that sometimes it did not work. AND the victim liked it very much.
Either that or they used the poison for weapons but learned (by experimenting a lot on lower classes or prisoners) that it didn’t work under all conditions.
Or maybe it’s just all made about the Fugu, but everyone who ate it is better off boasting about it than admitting that it’s just fish.
Dammit Peter, don’t make me look it up.
“Fugu has been consumed in Japan for centuries, although its historic origins are unclear.” Gasp! Wikipedia failed me
Although this was interesting: “Some professional chefs prepare the fish so there is a minute amount of poison in the meat, giving a prickling feeling and numbness on the tongue and the lips.”
Hot damn! I gotta try out some 鰒 next time I’m in Japan.