Economy of Speech & Mushrooms

I was fortunate to be able to tag along with a friend to do some photos for her interview of a mushroom farmer in Goodwood for Spezzatino this past weekend. (holy run-on sentence, batgirl)

Bruno, the Fun Guy. I shit you not.

I didn't have any expectations of Bruno - but still, he was not what I expected.

He's become more used to talking about what he does - but as with anyone who seems to have spent a lot of his lifetime listening and paying attention - he chooses his words very carefully. He does not waste words - and he assumes that people are paying attention when others talk, as he does.

I find that quality extremely rare these days - too many people tend to waste a lot of words when they talk. Perhaps they assume no one is listening, or they have never heard themselves talk.

But Bruno, eventhough he often stops to make sure you're catching his drift - he's still surprised when people pick up on the details of what he says and words he uses.

And as those who know me know - I'm all about the details.

Words like Bodhivista.

You don't often hear a Mushroom farmer from Northern Italy who was raised Catholic - using that word.

You also don't often find a mushroom farmer living in the house he does, on the property he owns. (no, he did not make all his money through mushroom farming)

You'd never know this beautiful house is a half kilometer off the dirt road, up a winding dirt driveway, through a forest with mushrooms growing out of freshly chopped hardwood tree limbs - next to a several interconnected buildings housing even more mushrooms.

It is an oasis complete with a ponds, a pool and wildflower gardens - and his mother living in her own house on the property. Good Italian Buddhist boy, he is.

Bruno sells his organic shitake and oyster mushrooms at the Wychwood and Brickworks farmers markets. Stop by and talk to him.

But don't bother standing in line behind someone who is already talking to him - it could be a while.

/<.

The Mushroom-related photos are for the magazine, sorry :)
I was more intrigued with Bruno than his mushrooms.