donald j haarmann wrote:

>Josh Halpern" > >
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>
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>>>The practice is known in other ethnic groups. Eating soil can provide some
>>>nutrients, but it isn't a complete diet.
>>>
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>>>
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>>It's called pica. No worse than chewing toothpics.
>>
>>josh halpern
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>-----------
>Actually it is "geophagy". Pica is a more inclusive term - A perverted
>appetite for substances not fit as food or of no nutritional value." (Stedman's. 26th ed.)
>
>Run geophagy through Google, or same such.
>
>

I was quite aware of geophagy and pica. Because pica includes both
behaviors I used it to show the relationship between what is a commonly
accepted behavior (ok, your mom doesn't like it) and one that many here
think weird. Where chewing tobacco fits into all this I do not know.

josh halpern