Marvin Margoshes wrote:

>"SykonC" > wrote
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>>Maxie P. Diddly wrote:
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>>
>>>http://iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=...658B253&s et_
>>>id=1
>>>
>>>Dirty-mouthed gran chows soil daily
>>>
>>>October 13 2003 at 06:18AM
>>>
>>>Hong Kong - A 78-year-old woman in northern China has eaten an
>>>estimated 10 tons of soil over the past 70 years, a news report said
>>>on Monday.
>>>
>>>
>>(Hehe that's cool. Hooray for cruelty free farming! jokes. Well, soil
>>contains all the nutrients for growing food, so it might be alright.
>>Dunno about the taste, she must have very earthworm-like tendencies .
>>
>>
>>>Hao Fenglan, from Zhangwu county, Liaoning province, developed a taste
>>>for mud and dirt at the age of eight and says she feels physical
>>>discomfort if she does not eat a meal of dirt at least once every day.
>>>
>>>
>>Mud is 'dirt', but it's not dirty , hehe.
>>
>>
>>>The diet has done her little apparent harm and she is in good health,
>>>according to the South China Morning Post. - Sapa-DP
>>>
>>>
>
>The practice is known in other ethnic groups. Eating soil can provide some
>nutrients, but it isn't a complete diet.
>
>

It's called pica. No worse than chewing toothpics.

josh halpern

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