To quote a really funny Canadian comedien, "the first guy ever to eat lobster must have been some jesus hungry."

Actually, a guy smoking a cig at the bus stop was what got me off on this idea. I so rarely see people smoking in my current lifestye, and it seemed so strange!

I studied archaeology and I still can't imagine how people got around to smelting copper. Especially since a lot of copper is arsenical and can kill you if you smelt it wrong. It's not the kind of thing you'd stumble on in one easy step.

Yeah, smoking is a pretty straightforward progression from "random weed on the fire" to "same weed on purpose on the fire" to "weed-fire in a tiny tiny firepit called a pipe".

Egg whites, uhhhh, same kind of question I have about who figured out that brains are edible. Clearly somebody did, but was it a foodie, or a kid on a dare?

I believe that humanity has tried to eat everything, at least once. And if the first shot didn't work, you try cracking, peeling, shaking, stripping, burning or whatever else you can think of, and then try eat it again.

Some people think that this picture of the Martian surface shows a human skull: [link]

I figure that if you look at a billion rocks, a few might resemble a skull if looked at from the right angle.

Here is the NASA original to show it's not Photoshopped: [link]

eta: The more I look at it, the less it looks like a skull to me.

who figured out that brains are edible.

Brains, nothing -- who figured out how to prepare kidneys? At least badly prepared brains don't taste like pee.

Brains are easy. Evolutionarily, we're scavengers and omnivores. Brains are spicy and nummy.

The artichoke is the one I always question. How much trial and error did that take?

I swear, I've had this conversation before.

I do wonder. ..

And then I'm reminded of people I'm related to who are miraculously still alive despite their lack of caution and incredible oddity when the thought I wonder what would happen if... transmits through grey matter.

Brains look like congealed vomit. I'd -- have to really really have a good motivation to think brains = breakfast.

At least the first person who prepared kidneys didn't know they might taste like pee. For that matter, he probably thought he was preparing liver or heart muscle or something.

I'd try separating eggs before I'd eat the first artichoke. And I love artichokes.

The artichoke is the one I always question. How much trial and error did that take?

SO MUCH THIS.

I mean, can you even be hungry enough to think the giant thistle looks tasty, and yet still have the strength for trial and error on preparation?