geophagy

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I was in Random Babble when Fel brought up an interesting topic of cravings. This lead me to do a little googling and this is what I came up with.

Tell me what you think.

http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/american_kitsch/89106

and a movie to go with the topic

http://www.inetfilm.com/movies/drama/geophagy.html

 

I will stick with potatoe chips if its all the same to you.

 

Eating dirt huh? No thanks...I'll stick to eating candy and other junk food of the same sort.

Dirt is better left for the earthworms.

 

People eat weird things such as dirt (or paper, erasers and glue in my case) because of an imbalance in their bodies or some such. Dirt provides those hard-to-find minerals and is much cheaper than going to the drugstore for that bottle of shark pills or One-A-Day.

Most who chew ice have an iron deficiency and those who nibble on their hair lack a bit of protein. And yes, I asked a nutritionist and a GP about these wacky things.

 

Did you know that baby elephants eat poo?

 

Actually hamsters eat their own poo too. They only partially digest it the first time around and then save it in their nests for a midnight snack. Personally I'm glad I'm not a hampster and I don't want to eat dirt either.

 

Bad Boo! Bad miniature giant space hamster! Poor Minsc and his backpack/belt pouch.

 

Well to really gross you out my dog eats my cats poo, then chucks it back up and eats it again

 

Yeah - my poodle goes all out to try and eat my sister's rabbit's poo.

[ January 18, 2006, 08:48: Message edited by: Stu ]

 

My sister's dalmation used to eat cat, racoon, and sometimes other dog's poo. This just proves my point that dogs are stupid.

I can see it now, Vegan Dirt. "No innocent animals or insects were harmed in the packaging of this product." They just fail to mention that the said dirt was "harvested" off of Route 66.

 

My dog actually eats rabbit and horse poo when she gets the chance

I'm not sure dirt is something I'll try eating anytime soon.

 

hmmmmm, well concidering all the "special" ingredients in dirt I don't see myself eating any anytime soon. Poo, dead bugs, saliva, mucus, urine - it's all there in its miniscule form.

blah

 

This is quite possibly the most disgusting topic that I have ever seen on this site.

However, to add to the interesting material, Cows basically do the same thing by chewing their cuds.

 

Actually, dogs that eat poo are not stupid, but lack something in their diet. That's why pet stores sell cow's paunch filled ('green') or unfilled. Dogs need it.

So buy your dog this stuff once in a while and it will stop eating poo.

But beware: it smells awful.

 

Do you know why baby elephants eat poo?

They need the bacteria from it, to help their digestion. They don't have that particular kind in their system initially, so they need to have the bacteria set up shop in their bowels.

 

Actually this topic isn't about eating POO, it is about eating DIRT! But it is interesting how you all see the similarity.

 

It's a small step for a man, but a giant leap for grossness.

Without progress there is stagnation! We must remain ever grossed out, whatever it takes.

 

I used to eat dirt when I was a kid.

 

My sister tricked me to eat rabbit droppings when I was under 4 years old. She told me that it was candy. Didn't taste that bad as I recall, just something dry and papery. But it wasn't candy either, what a disappointment!

All dog related animals might have a taste for poo. Spotted hyenas real delicacy seems to be the excrement of hyena-dogs. They seem to take great trouble to acquire those tasty treats. It takes a great sense of smell to be a food connoiseur.

The word goes round that you have to eat something gross 15 to 20 times before you get used to it. Seems to be the case, since I didn't like yeast extract at first, but now after about 15 times I've actually learned to like it.

 

@ Ichor - Did you read what I just wrote a couple posts above?

DIRT.....this topic is about DIRT. Geophagy is the act of eating DIRT NOT POO!!!!!

Geesh! You guys got a one track mind.