Re: Hemlock, castor bean and datura

Last weekend we had the pleasure of going to a nearby Cycladic island (Kea)
which is reached via the port of Lavrion in southeast Attica.  While sitting
in a small outdoor restuarant I noticed that two Greek children were playing
with datura seedpods, stepping on them and handling the seeds.  The little
girl was about to put a few seeds in her mouth when I jumped up and warned
the parents that they were poisonous.  I was met with some rather amused but
annoyed expressions-my punishment for meddling, I guess.  They made no move
whatever to stop the children and they just carried on... I can't get this
out of my mind, especially after reading the Moira's post about the castor
seeds.  If the children got sick I wonder if the incident was even
remembered by the parents or if they chalked it up to the evil eye... I
don't know what conclusion to draw about this, only there are cultural
factors at work on many levels here...
Karen V. in Athens
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index