Yes, probably every year somebody gets the wrong mushrooms and actually dies, but considering the number of mushroom hotpot restaurants ,and the popularity of mushrooms locally, the percentage of those who are seriously poisoned must be pretty low - it's unlikely that they will be a major danger to you here (cf traffic, various 'natural' causes, etc.)
I have personally known 2 people (in 13 years) who got high by accident from mushrooms, one at a restaurant and one when her father cooked some up (her father wasn't affected at all by the same dish, for some reason).
Have eaten a few recreational shrooms while here myself - they were local, I'm pretty sure - were not fantastic as a high, although there are SO MANY varieties in Yunnan that there must be somebody somewhere who knows which ones to get. However, I wouldn't trust my own judgement to pick any, and in the market I only buy the few that I recognize to cook with.
Life in Kunming: Studying Chinese in the Spring City
发布者@JanJal: Yep, I'm sure it gets easier year by year.
Life in Kunming: Studying Chinese in the Spring City
发布者@ redjon: OK, I agree.
@ForeignGuy: (1) I appreciate the problem, but it's possible to know a language and control its use in the classroom. (2) What about living in KM? Don't know your Chinese ability, but I'm not pretending everybody become fluent, which is the kind of irrational and impossible goal that has kept friends of mine from learning any Chinese at all - and that is a stupid mistake. On the other hand, if you can only buy things in the market in Chinese etc. you are shortchanging yourself, as well as those you attempt to communicate with and live among.
Life in Kunming: Studying Chinese in the Spring City
发布者Well, I've lived places for more than 6 months without developing at least conversational language ability and I felt like an idiot. Being a nice person doesn't come into it.
Life in Kunming: Studying Chinese in the Spring City
发布者Although I have studied at Keats and find it's the bet place to study Chinese in Kunming that I know of, the article sounds a bit like a plug for Keats.
As for studying Chinese, imagine how idiotic it would be to live in any country for more than about 6 months and not be abler to hold a conversation in that country's language.
Counting down Kunming's Top Ten Smells
发布者Obviously all a matter of different strokes.