
Loading summary
Adam Tex Davis
Happy birthday to us. That's right. WhoSmarted turned five years old this month. How exciting. That's not all. WhoSmarted also reached 25 million downloads. And that's because of you, our Smarty Pants listeners. And to celebrate, we want to give you a gift. What is this gift you're wondering? I'm glad you asked. If you love WhoSmarted, I'm sure you've heard us mention our WhoSmarted plus subscription. You know, the one that gives you a brand new bonus episode every week, plus every episode of WhoSmarted. Trusty trivia and Smartyq's ad free. Not to mention subscribers directly support WhoSmarted. So we can keep making the show for many more years to come. And to show our appreciation to you, we're offering a 50% discount on our annual subscription. We've never done this before. Instead of $39.99 for a full year of smarting, you can subscribe to WhoSmarted plus for just 1998 a year. That's right. Who Smarted plus is half off? Quick quiz, smarty pants. Is 1998 a year the same as A, $1.67 a month, B, 38 cents a week, or C, a nickel a day? Did you say all of the above? You're right. Just think of all the time you'll save not listening to ads while enjoying subscriber only special episodes. That's got to be worth at least five cents a day, right? Of course, an offer this good can't last forever. So you must subscribe by November 15th to lock in your 50% off WhoSmarted plus subscription. Again, that's 50% off our WhoSmarted plus subscription. Just $19.98 for the entire year by November 15th. To join the celebration, go to our website WhoSmarted.com and click Birthday Subscribe. This offer is only available directly through our website@whosmarted.com don't worry. You can play your subscription, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast platform. But to get the special birthday price, you have to go to whosmarted.com and click Birthday subscribe in the top menu. But remember, you only have until November 15th, so sign up@whosmarted.com today. And now it's time for Whosmarted.
Jerry Colbert
Oysters Coming True.
Adam Tex Davis
Clams Casino right behind you.
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
Watch your back, boys. I got a bowl of bivalves here.
Adam Tex Davis
Hey, smarty pants. I'm here at Clancy's Clam Bar having some of their famous clams. And I gotta say, it's Pretty nutso here.
Jerry Colbert
Who ordered the little necks?
Adam Tex Davis
Hey, my neck's not that small.
Jerry Colbert
Little neck clams.
Adam Tex Davis
Oh, and also. Oh, yeah, that would be me. Here you go. Thanks. Mm. Mm. That's a lot of raw seafood. Oh, boy. I sure hope I don't get sick.
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
Oh, I wouldn't worry about that if I were you. As long as the raw seafood is fresh, it'll be just fine. And I can attest that Clancy's Clam Bar has the freshest clams. Phew.
Adam Tex Davis
Good to know. And you are?
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
Dr. Spencer Saalbach, food scientist.
Adam Tex Davis
A food scientist sitting at the next table. What are the odds?
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
100%.
Adam Tex Davis
Right. But also, as a food scientist, that makes you an expert on what's safe to eat.
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
Exactly. Bottoms up.
Adam Tex Davis
Mm. Mm. Tasty clams. You might even say clamtastic.
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
I would never say that.
Adam Tex Davis
Right. Forgetting that, Dr. Sourmilk, I must say, since you are a food scientist who happens to be sitting right next to me, it'd be a shame not to take advantage of that. For instance, while oysters, clams and sushi are all safe to eat when they're fresh, are there any foods that are not so safe to eat? Are there any common foods that can poison you? And how do we know to avoid dangerous foods? Oh, and are there any foods that can.
Jerry Colbert
Kill you?
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
The short answer to all of that is yes. I knew it.
Adam Tex Davis
Alright, smarty pants, looks like we're going on a dangerous food fest as we take a tasty whiff of science and history on who smarted?
Jerry Colbert
Who's smarted? Who's smart? Is it you? Is it me? Is it science or history? Listen up, everyone. We make smarting lots of fun. But who's smarting?
Adam Tex Davis
Okay, smarty pants, we left Clancy's Clam Bar and now we're at. Where are we?
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
Patty's Pie Emporium.
Adam Tex Davis
Ooh, I love pies.
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
So do I. But some pies harbor a dark secret.
Adam Tex Davis
You don't say.
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
How would you like a nice rhubarb pie?
Adam Tex Davis
Oh, that sounds delightful. Smartypants. Have you ever had or heard of a rhubarb piece? From the looks of it, it's one of the most popular pies here at Patty's Pie Emporium. Let's dig in.
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
Well, let me stop you right there, trusty. As tempting as that pie may be, it may also be dangerous.
Adam Tex Davis
Really? But people love rhubarb pies. I love rhubarb pies. How can a rhubarb pie be dangerous?
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
Well, that depends.
Adam Tex Davis
Depends on what?
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
On whether there are rhubarb leaves or stalks in the pieces.
Adam Tex Davis
Hmm, Smarty pants, what do you think? Is it better to use rhubarb leaves or rhubarb stalks in a rhubarb pie recipe? The answer is.
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
Stalks. Yep. You might think leaves sound tastier than stalks, but when it comes to rhubarb, not only do rhubarb leaves not taste good, they're also poisonous.
Adam Tex Davis
Poisonous?
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
Yep. The leaves of the beloved summertime pie fruit rhubarb contain something called oxalic acid. If consumed, oxalic acid can lead to vomiting, stomach cramps, and, in extreme cases, kidney failure.
Adam Tex Davis
Whoa. Okay, but these pies just have sweet, tangy, delicious stalks in them, right?
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
Of course. Patty would never use rhubarb leaves. These pies are safe.
Adam Tex Davis
Great.
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
Of course, there's also oxalic acid in the stalks of rhubarb.
Adam Tex Davis
Wait, what?
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
Relax, trusty. There's only teeny, tiny amounts of oxalic acid in stalks. Not enough to pose any risk.
Adam Tex Davis
You had me going there for a sec.
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
And speaking of going, we've got lots more scary foodstuffs to make.
Adam Tex Davis
Great. Where are we now, Dr. Sourmilk?
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
In the woods, foraging for mushrooms. Of course.
Adam Tex Davis
Of course.
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
It's important to know that some mushrooms are poisonous, while others are totally edible and delicious.
Adam Tex Davis
Smartypants, which of these is an actual name of a poisonous mushroom? A, the death cap, B, the skull cap, or C, destroying Angels? The answer is all three. They're all types of poisonous mushrooms.
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
A trick question. I love it. But what I don't love is how easy it is to confuse poisonous mushrooms for edible mushrooms. For example, the destroying Angels mushroom looks a lot like your classic white button mushroom, as you might find in a cream of mushroom soup. Except eating one of those bad boys can cause vomiting, diarrhea, kidney failure, and even death.
Adam Tex Davis
Yikes. That's not good.
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
No. Another very dangerous mushroom that looks super close to a super tasty, super fancy mushroom is the false morel.
Adam Tex Davis
Sounds like the name is warning you.
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
It sure is. But out in the woods, there aren't any labels. Unfortunately, the false morel looks very close to the regular morel, which is often used in French cuisine. Only the false morel contains a toxic substance called gyromitrin.
Adam Tex Davis
Sounds scary.
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
When gyro mithrin breaks down in the body, it becomes more monomethyl hydrazine.
Adam Tex Davis
That sounds even scarier.
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
It is. Monomethyl hydrazine is actually used in rocket fuel.
Adam Tex Davis
Yikes. I don't want that in my body.
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
No, you definitely don't. It can cause really bad neurological symptoms, make your tummy super upset, and in some cases, even kill you. But even more dangerous is the death cap mushroom.
Adam Tex Davis
Wait, how can something be more dangerous than that?
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
Trust me, Trusty, it is. That's because the death cap's poisons stand up to cooking. So even if you grill, boil, or saute these bad boys, it won't help. If eaten, this mushroom can damage cells throughout your body. In less than a day, you'll experience intense abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, tremendous thirst, and lose tons of fluids from your tissues. These mushrooms can cause damage to your liver and kidneys. And over 50% of people who've consumed the death cap mushroom die.
Adam Tex Davis
Smarty pants, are you hearing what I'm hearing? Never, ever, ever eat a wild mushroom that you find in the woods.
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
Exactly. Just stick to what you find in the grocery store and you'll be fine.
Adam Tex Davis
Good idea. Let's get out of here.
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
Alrighty. Just follow me through the thicket of trees to my grandma's house.
Adam Tex Davis
Your grandma lives in the woods? She's not a witch, is she?
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
No, but she is a great cook. Come on, let's check out the foods in the pantry.
Adam Tex Davis
Mmm, it smells great in here. What is that, Granny?
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
Sour Milk's fresh, fragrant nutmeg.
Adam Tex Davis
Ooh, I love nutmeg. Especially in pumpkin pie. Eggnog, potatoes, hot chocolate, and even Mac and cheese. What about you, smarty pants? Do you enjoy nutmeg?
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
Well, while this nutty aromatic spice can.
Adam Tex Davis
Be delicious, I know it can also be dangerous, right?
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
Right. Nutmeg in large quantities can actually be poisonous.
Adam Tex Davis
Smartypants, true or false? Having too much nutmeg can make you see things that aren't really there. The answer is true.
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
Yes. Nutmeg contains something called myristicin, which, if you ingest or eat it, can cause hallucinations.
Adam Tex Davis
Oh, wow. There goes my eggnog.
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
Hold on, Trusty. For nutmeg to be truly poisonous, you'll need to eat at least 50 grams. That's a lot of nutmeg. Most recipes call for half or a quarter of teaspoon of nutmeg. 50 grams is 10 to teaspoons. Stick to little sprinkling said nutmeg and you'll be fine. Phew.
Adam Tex Davis
Not to mention, having that much nutmeg wouldn't taste very good.
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
Moving on, let's talk about another unexpected toxic culprit. Stone fruit seeds.
Adam Tex Davis
What's a stone fruit, smarty pants? Do you know? Is it, A, a fruit that grows in rocky soil? B, a fruit that's hard as a rock. Or C, fruits like peaches, apricots, plums, or cherries that have big pits in the middle. If you said C, you're right. Wait, stone fruits can kill you?
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
Well, maybe not kill you, but the pits can be dangerous. See, the pits of stone fruits contain something called amygdalin, a substance that turns into cyanide when broken down by the enzymes in your tummy.
Adam Tex Davis
Cyanide? That's, like one of the most poisonous poisons out there.
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
Yep. It's no joke. Cyanide poison can cause upset stomach, difficulty breathing, and in severe cases, organ failure and death.
Adam Tex Davis
Smarty pants. Does that mean we shouldn't eat peaches and plums and cherries?
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
No, of course not. First of all, it's just the pits that are poisonous. And secondly, you need to eat a lot of stone fruit pits to get poisoned. Accidentally swallowing one or two cherry pits won't harm you. But just to be safe, just stick to the fruit itself.
Adam Tex Davis
Will do, Dr. Sourmilk. So far, it sounds like all these dangerous foods can be easily avoided by just sticking to what's in the grocery store. But are there any dangerous foods people eat willingly even though they know those foods might kill them?
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
Believe it or not, there are. And some are even considered rare delicacies.
Adam Tex Davis
Whoa. We'll learn what those are right after this short break. And a word from our sponsor. WhoSmarted is brought to you by Squarespace. Now, you know I'm good about creating new adventures and episodes of Whosmarted, but you don't know that I procrastinate on other stuff, like a website for one of our new projects.
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
Oops.
Adam Tex Davis
When the website builder Squarespace reached out about sponsoring WhoSmarted, I decided to test it out. And now I feel silly for putting off building that website. Squarespace's blueprint AI thing literally built me a custom website in minutes. I just told it a few details about the project, and boom, it generated everything. And everything you need is right there. I can schedule guest interviews, send email campaigns, even sell merch, all from one dashboard. Now it's your turn to stop procrastinating and start building. You can use Squarespace to launch that business site or any site that you've been dreaming about. But putting off today, there's no excuse anymore. Especially since you can head to squarespace.com smarted for a free trial. And when you're ready to launch, you can use code smarted to save 10% on your first purchase of a website or domain. That's squarespace.com smarted code smarted. Now back to whosmarted. All right, where are we now, Dr. Sourmilk?
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
We're at a restaurant in South Korea.
Adam Tex Davis
Cool.
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
Now, do you notice something a bit strange on that man's plate over there?
Adam Tex Davis
Is it just me or is his meal moving?
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
It is. He's eating something called sanagi, a Korean delicacy that presents a unique set of risks. Basically, sanaki is a small type of octopus called long arm octopus or baby octopus. Don't worry, it's not actually a baby. It's just a smaller than most octopuses. In the case of sanaki, there are no toxins or anything poisonous about it at all.
Adam Tex Davis
Oh, okay. So what's the big deal?
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
Well, traditionally, sanaki is served fresh. Really fresh. As in as soon as it's killed with a nice dousing of soy sauce and sesame seeds. But because the octopus has lots of nerve endings in its tentacles, it continues wiggling around on your plate even though it's dead. In fact, they'll continue to wiggle around in your mouth. And that's the dangerous part. While not poisonous, the still moving tentacles can grab at your throat, increasing your risk of choking to death.
Adam Tex Davis
Okay, I think I'll just stick to fried calamari.
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
But sanaki isn't even the most dangerous of all foods. There is one food that is definitely the most dangerous food in the world. A food that, if not prepared by an absolute expert, can kill you almost instantly.
Adam Tex Davis
Wha. Smarty pants. Do you know what the most dangerous food in the world is? I heard a lot of different answers. Okay, let's find out.
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
Fugu.
Adam Tex Davis
Bless you.
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
No, no, no, no, no. Fugu is a type of puffer fish. It's a delicacy in Japan. But parts of the fish contain a poison called tetrodotoxin. It must be very carefully prepared. Otherwise. In fact, in Japan, fugu chefs must undergo years of special training before they're legally allowed to prepare it.
Adam Tex Davis
Gotcha. This is definitely a don't try this at home situation, smarty pants.
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
The most poisonous parts are the liver, eyes, and skin. And only the specialty trained chefs know exactly how to slice and prepare the fish to completely avoid these poisonous areas.
Adam Tex Davis
So what happens if you eat a poisonous section of the fish?
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
You start with dizziness, headaches, and nausea. But if you have enough tetrodotoxin in your system, you become totally paralyzed. You cannot move or speak, but you're fully conscious the whole time.
Adam Tex Davis
Yikes.
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
After that, you start breathing. And.
Adam Tex Davis
And people actually eat this?
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
Yep. Like I said, it's a delicacy and thrill seekers like the rush of the potentially fatal food. But again, only a highly trained shift should prepare it. In Tokyo, Japan, from 1993 to 2006, there were 23 reported cases of fugu poisoning, but only one took place at a restaurant.
Adam Tex Davis
Yeah, no fugu for me.
Dr. Spencer Saalbach
Yeah, I'll just stick to these fresh clams, mussels and oysters.
Adam Tex Davis
Actually, I think I'm gonna get a nice, safe slice of pizza. Well done. A double shout out to Smartie fans Emma and Henry in Corning. We hear you listen every night at bedtime and love learning new things to share with your parents. Way to spread the smarting. And for being part of our Smartie family this episode, Dangerous Foods was written by Phil Fugu Jarmy and voiced by Brad Rhubarb Rader, Adam Nutmeg Davis, Kim Danger Davis and Jerry Colbert. Technical direction and sound design by Josh Hazardous Hahn. Our associate producer is Risky Max Kamasky. The theme song is by Brian Fresh Fish Suarez with lyrics written and performed by Adam Tex Davis. Who Smarted was created and produced by Adam Tex Davis and Jerry Colber. This has been an Atomic Audio production.
Jerry Colbert
Who Smarted.
In this lively, humorous, and slightly hair-raising episode, host Adam Tex Davis and food scientist Dr. Spencer Saalbach explore the world of dangerous and “gross” foods that people eat—some accidentally, some as delicacies, and some out of pure adventure. Along the way, they highlight everyday foods with hidden dangers, reveal deadly delicacies from around the globe, and sprinkle in fun trivia for listeners to guess. The episode cleverly blends food science, history, global cuisine, and cautionary tales in a way designed to educate and entertain curious kids and their grownups.
| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|-------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:39 | Adam Tex Davis | “That’s a lot of raw seafood. Oh, boy. I sure hope I don’t get sick.” | | 05:50 | Dr. Spencer Saalbach | “Not only do rhubarb leaves not taste good, they're also poisonous.” | | 06:04 | Dr. Spencer Saalbach | “If consumed, oxalic acid can lead to vomiting, stomach cramps, and, in extreme cases, kidney failure.”| | 07:19 | Adam Tex Davis | “Which of these is an actual name of a poisonous mushroom? ... The answer is all three.” | | 08:46 | Dr. Spencer Saalbach | “Monomethyl hydrazine is actually used in rocket fuel.” | | 09:51 | Adam Tex Davis | “Never, ever, ever eat a wild mushroom that you find in the woods.” | | 10:43 | Dr. Spencer Saalbach | “Nutmeg in large quantities can actually be poisonous.” | | 11:16 | Dr. Spencer Saalbach | “For nutmeg to be truly poisonous, you'll need to eat at least 50 grams.” | | 12:41 | Dr. Spencer Saalbach | “... stick to the fruit itself.” | | 15:27 | Dr. Spencer Saalbach | “ ... the still moving tentacles can grab at your throat, increasing your risk of choking to death.”| | 17:42 | Dr. Spencer Saalbach | “You cannot move or speak, but you’re fully conscious the whole time.” | | 18:12 | Adam Tex Davis | “Yeah, no fugu for me.” |
Perfect for classrooms and curious kids, this episode wraps fun facts and high-stakes science into a package that’s as entertaining as it is educational.
Shout-out: The episode ends with thanks to Smarty fans Emma and Henry and credits to the creative team (18:18).