Author |
Message |
 |
|
 |
Advert
|
Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:
- No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
- Times and dates in your local timezone.
- Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
- Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
- Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.
If you are already a member then feel free to login now. |
|
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2016/11/10 14:34:33
Subject: Why where cacti fruit ever created ?
|
 |
Longtime Dakkanaut
|
No matter whether you believe in god or in or millennia of selective cultivation someone had to come up with the genius idea of making these things the way they are now, filled with seeds and covered with decorative patches of microscopic barbed needles. Here is a quote of an instructables article on how to eat these things. instructables wrote:There are a few ways to get the fruits off the cactus. You could wear thick gardening gloves, but the problem with that is that your gloves will then be covered with insidious hair-thorns that will attack you next time you touch them. I opt to use kitchen tongs that keep me at a safe distance and can be washed clean without ever touching my skin. Why would anyone ever wish to create something like that ?
|
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2016/11/10 14:45:48
Inactive, user. New profile might pop up in a while |
|
 |
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2016/11/10 14:41:14
Subject: Why where cacti fruit ever created ?
|
 |
Decrepit Dakkanaut
|
Some people just want to watch the world burn get poked by thorns!
|
DA:70S+G+M+B++I++Pw40k08+D++A++/fWD-R+T(M)DM+
|
|
 |
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2016/11/10 14:43:38
Subject: Why where cacti fruit ever created ?
|
 |
Norn Queen
|
Nids love em!
|
Dman137 wrote:
goobs is all you guys will ever be
By 1-irt: Still as long as Hissy keeps showing up this is one of the most entertaining threads ever.
"Feelin' goods, good enough". |
|
 |
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2016/11/10 14:54:24
Subject: Why where cacti fruit ever created ?
|
 |
5th God of Chaos! (Yea'rly!)
The Great State of Texas
|
Take it from me, cactus beer is no bueno.
|
-"Wait a minute.....who is that Frazz is talking to in the gallery? Hmmm something is going on here.....Oh.... it seems there is some dispute over video taping of some sort......Frazz is really upset now..........wait a minute......whats he go there.......is it? Can it be?....Frazz has just unleashed his hidden weiner dog from his mini bag, while quoting shakespeares "Let slip the dogs the war!!" GG
-"Don't mind Frazzled. He's just Dakka's crazy old dude locked in the attic. He's harmless. Mostly."
-TBone the Magnificent 1999-2014, Long Live the King!
|
|
 |
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2016/11/10 16:39:40
Subject: Why where cacti fruit ever created ?
|
 |
Longtime Dakkanaut
Building a blood in water scent
|
But is it worse than no beer at all?
|
We were once so close to heaven, St. Peter came out and gave us medals; declaring us "The nicest of the damned".
“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'” |
|
 |
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2016/11/10 16:57:23
Subject: Why where cacti fruit ever created ?
|
 |
Longtime Dakkanaut
|
Does it contain decorative patches of cacti needles / thorns ?
|
Inactive, user. New profile might pop up in a while |
|
 |
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2016/11/10 17:48:04
Subject: Why where cacti fruit ever created ?
|
 |
5th God of Chaos! (Yea'rly!)
The Great State of Texas
|
oldzoggy wrote:
Does it contain decorative patches of cacti needles / thorns ?
Yes, it is worse than no beer at all. Of course I don't drink beer. It gets in the way of my bourbon.
No it doesn't have needles in it. Its just blech.
You can however make a nice desert with the fruit IIRC.
|
-"Wait a minute.....who is that Frazz is talking to in the gallery? Hmmm something is going on here.....Oh.... it seems there is some dispute over video taping of some sort......Frazz is really upset now..........wait a minute......whats he go there.......is it? Can it be?....Frazz has just unleashed his hidden weiner dog from his mini bag, while quoting shakespeares "Let slip the dogs the war!!" GG
-"Don't mind Frazzled. He's just Dakka's crazy old dude locked in the attic. He's harmless. Mostly."
-TBone the Magnificent 1999-2014, Long Live the King!
|
|
 |
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2016/11/10 19:08:51
Subject: Why where cacti fruit ever created ?
|
 |
Locked in the Tower of Amareo
|
oldzoggy wrote:No matter whether you believe in god or in or millennia of selective cultivation someone had to come up with the genius idea of making these things the way they are now, filled with seeds and covered with decorative patches of microscopic barbed needles.
Good defence?`Funny enough lots of how things have evolved has been making sure you don't get eaten
|
2024 painted/bought: 109/109 |
|
 |
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2016/11/10 20:05:27
Subject: Why where cacti fruit ever created ?
|
 |
Longtime Dakkanaut
|
Thats sure how it might have started, but these things like all food crops have been cultivated and carefully selected on desired attributes for 1000's of years.
|
Inactive, user. New profile might pop up in a while |
|
 |
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2016/11/10 20:17:04
Subject: Why where cacti fruit ever created ?
|
 |
[DCM]
The Main Man
|
I've always wanted to try cactus fruit but sadly have not had the opportunity as of yet.
|
|
|
 |
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2016/11/10 20:20:12
Subject: Why where cacti fruit ever created ?
|
 |
Trazyn's Museum Curator
|
Well, when you're in an arid environment with not much food or water, you tend not to be too picky on what to eat. Not to mention that prickly pears tend to have a high water content, making it ideal for surviving in the desert.' I had one of them, btw. It was kind of nice, actually. A bit awkward to eat, but it was juicy and had a curious flavor. Sort of apple like, I think.
|
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2016/11/10 20:22:32
What I have
~4100
~1660
Westwood lives in death!
Peace through power!
A longbeard when it comes to Necrons and WHFB. Grumble Grumble
|
|
 |
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2016/11/11 06:31:22
Subject: Re:Why where cacti fruit ever created ?
|
 |
Longtime Dakkanaut
On a surly Warboar, leading the Waaagh!
|
I remember I had cactus gelato with agave nectar dribbled on it for dessert in Puerto Vallarta several years back and it was delicious!
|
|
 |
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2016/11/11 19:30:27
Subject: Re:Why where cacti fruit ever created ?
|
 |
Did Fulgrim Just Behead Ferrus?
|
I had some fruit years ago, tastes great.
|
"Through the darkness of future past, the magician longs to see.
One chants out between two worlds: Fire, walk with me." - Twin Peaks
"You listen to me. While I will admit to a certain cynicism, the fact is that I am a naysayer and hatchetman in the fight against violence. I pride myself in taking a punch and I'll gladly take another because I choose to live my life in the company of Gandhi and King. My concerns are global. I reject absolutely revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method... is love. I love you Sheriff Truman." - Twin Peaks |
|
 |
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2016/11/12 00:45:29
Subject: Why where cacti fruit ever created ?
|
 |
Blood-Raging Khorne Berserker
|
I had it a couple of years ago. It tastes pretty good, but it's a major PITA to get at. Much like the pomegranate, it's not really worth the effort
|
|
 |
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2016/11/12 03:10:20
Subject: Re:Why where cacti fruit ever created ?
|
 |
Longtime Dakkanaut
|
It does seem very odd. Why should a cactus go to all the trouble of bearing fruit (which is presumably meant to entice animals to eat its seeds), and then cover the fruit in spikes (presumably to deter animals from eating it)? Very peculiar.
|
|
 |
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2016/11/12 03:22:14
Subject: Why where cacti fruit ever created ?
|
 |
Decrepit Dakkanaut
|
tneva82 wrote: oldzoggy wrote:No matter whether you believe in god or in or millennia of selective cultivation someone had to come up with the genius idea of making these things the way they are now, filled with seeds and covered with decorative patches of microscopic barbed needles. Good defence?`Funny enough lots of how things have evolved has been making sure you don't get eaten 
Fruit generally wants to be eaten. That's how it gets far from the parent plant, fertilised, and propagates. It could be argued to prevent the parent plant from being damaged while the valuable fruit grows, but then one would expect the needles to drop out once the fruit was ready.
|
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2016/11/12 03:22:44
|
|
 |
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2016/11/12 03:29:34
Subject: Why where cacti fruit ever created ?
|
 |
Savage Khorne Berserker Biker
|
They're delicious. I eat 'em from time to time, and love how juicy they are. Picking with tongs, as suggested, and then slicing them open on a plastic cutting board while keeping the fruit in place with a fork and then prying the skin off.
As for the fruit itself and the evolution of the plant, one should also take into account any sort of preferred consumer of the fruit that may have developed a relationship with the plant over evolutionary time. For example, fruits consistently eaten by animal X over time tended to be dispersed in such a way that they produced more successful offspring. I imagine birds would be among the best at this role, as they're small and can peck into the fruit between the patches of needles and theoretically travel greater distances to poop the seeds out. All just conjecture, but it sorta makes sense.
|
|
 |
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2016/11/12 07:37:04
Subject: Re:Why where cacti fruit ever created ?
|
 |
Longtime Dakkanaut
|
Smacks wrote:It does seem very odd. Why should a cactus go to all the trouble of bearing fruit (which is presumably meant to entice animals to eat its seeds), and then cover the fruit in spikes (presumably to deter animals from eating it)? Very peculiar.
Wild Guess (even though I could google it and find the actual answer I'm sure):
Perhaps it wants to be eaten by a particular kind of animal, that process and leaves the seeds around in the fashion the plant requires. So it gets a bunch of nasty ol' spikes that deters pretty much everything except that particular critter and/or critters, which are well suited to dealing with them.
|
|
 |
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2016/11/12 08:45:13
Subject: Re:Why where cacti fruit ever created ?
|
 |
Legendary Dogfighter
|
Chongara wrote: Smacks wrote:It does seem very odd. Why should a cactus go to all the trouble of bearing fruit (which is presumably meant to entice animals to eat its seeds), and then cover the fruit in spikes (presumably to deter animals from eating it)? Very peculiar.
Wild Guess (even though I could google it and find the actual answer I'm sure):
Perhaps it wants to be eaten by a particular kind of animal, that process and leaves the seeds around in the fashion the plant requires. So it gets a bunch of nasty ol' spikes that deters pretty much everything except that particular critter and/or critters, which are well suited to dealing with them.
Also entirely possible that the animal in question went extinct before we were aware of its existence
|
Some people find the idea that other people can be happy offensive, and will prefer causing harm to self improvement. |
|
 |
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2016/11/12 12:25:37
Subject: Why where cacti fruit ever created ?
|
 |
Battlefortress Driver with Krusha Wheel
|
No one did. Apparently birds are the main method of seed dispersal, according to the internet anyway.
|
My PLog
Curently: DZC
Set phasers to malkie! |
|
 |
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2016/11/12 13:09:46
Subject: Why where cacti fruit ever created ?
|
 |
Beautiful and Deadly Keeper of Secrets
|
Silent Puffin? wrote:
No one did. Apparently birds are the main method of seed dispersal, according to the internet anyway.
When you poop from the air you can get some distance to spread indigestible seeds that pretty much just pass harmlessly through a birds stomach, and plenty of things take advantage of things birds naturally don't get affected by so they can freely eat it.
Kinda like how spicy peppers came to be, the spiciness was supposed to turn away other animals but birds didn't feel the heat.. Of course it backfired a bit with humans, but they certainly propagated as a result.
|
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2016/11/12 13:10:33
|
|
 |
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2016/11/13 00:56:57
Subject: Why where cacti fruit ever created ?
|
 |
Stern Iron Priest with Thrall Bodyguard
UK
|
evolution has no plan or goal, organisms just find a niche and fill it it's simply that way because it ensured it's continuation as a species.
|
|
 |
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2016/11/13 07:35:54
Subject: Why where cacti fruit ever created ?
|
 |
Longtime Dakkanaut
On a surly Warboar, leading the Waaagh!
|
hobojebus wrote:evolution has no plan or goal, organisms just find a niche and fill it it's simply that way because it ensured it's continuation as a species.
Hence, Trump. Another prick, er, prickly organism that saw a niche and filled it. Sorry MODs, I had to go there.
Back OT, I'm assuming that the fruit also bears the buds and allows for pollination, yes?
|
|
 |
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2016/11/13 11:12:26
Subject: Why where cacti fruit ever created ?
|
 |
Thinking of Joining a Davinite Loge
|
hobojebus wrote:evolution has no plan or goal, organisms just find a niche and fill it it's simply that way because it ensured it's continuation as a species.
Continuation of existence is a goal, no?
|
My $0.02, which since 1992 has rounded to nothing. Take with salt.
Elysian Drop Troops, Dark Angels, 30K
Mercenaries, Retribution
Ten Thunders, Neverborn
|
|
 |
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2016/11/13 12:09:46
Subject: Why where cacti fruit ever created ?
|
 |
Beautiful and Deadly Keeper of Secrets
|
Farseer Anath'lan wrote:hobojebus wrote:evolution has no plan or goal, organisms just find a niche and fill it it's simply that way because it ensured it's continuation as a species.
Continuation of existence is a goal, no?
Honestly after seeing how some parasites reproduce I am still baffled anything can evolved a niche as weird as going through two to five species just to reproduce.
|
|
 |
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2016/11/14 03:03:00
Subject: Why where cacti fruit ever created ?
|
 |
Longtime Dakkanaut
|
Farseer Anath'lan wrote:hobojebus wrote:evolution has no plan or goal, organisms just find a niche and fill it it's simply that way because it ensured it's continuation as a species.
Continuation of existence is a goal, no?
It might be a little misleading to say that continuation of existence is "the goal" of evolution. Selection is a natural force/phenomenon, not unlike gravity. A circular stone doesn't become round because it intends to be good at rolling, it just works out that way. When we ask ourselves why some stones seem to have rolled further than others, the answer is because they happen to be rounder, but the stone didn't plan it. Genes are a little like stones rolling through time, and since time is by definition a continuation, genes that are good at "continuing" obviously roll further through it.
However, there are parts of evolution, such as sexual selection, which do involve pressures deliberately applied by organisms, which could be thought of as goal driven. Though, how they ended up with such goals might be somewhat accidental.
It might also be worth mentioning that humans are sort of "hard-wired" to think in terms of purpose and meaning, and so our language tends to lend itself to discussing things in those terms. While that isn't "strictly" accurate when it comes to natural processes like evolution, I think it's perfectly acceptable to talk that way, because it's just easier. So long as people know that they are being poetic and not literal when they use words like "purpose" and "design", its okay.
Automatically Appended Next Post: malamis wrote: Chongara wrote: Smacks wrote:It does seem very odd. Why should a cactus go to all the trouble of bearing fruit (which is presumably meant to entice animals to eat its seeds), and then cover the fruit in spikes (presumably to deter animals from eating it)? Very peculiar.
Wild Guess (even though I could google it and find the actual answer I'm sure):
Perhaps it wants to be eaten by a particular kind of animal, that process and leaves the seeds around in the fashion the plant requires. So it gets a bunch of nasty ol' spikes that deters pretty much everything except that particular critter and/or critters, which are well suited to dealing with them.
Also entirely possible that the animal in question went extinct before we were aware of its existence 
Another possibility is that the spines growing on the fruit was just an unfortunate sideeffect of having spines generally, and the cactus never bothered to fix it because animals still ate the fruit in spite of them.
|
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2016/11/14 03:16:10
|
|
 |
 |
![[Post New]](/s/i/i.gif) 2016/11/14 08:34:48
Subject: Why where cacti fruit ever created ?
|
 |
Inspiring Icon Bearer
|
Silent Puffin? wrote:
No one did. Apparently birds are the main method of seed dispersal, according to the internet anyway.
In any case, nowadays they're planted just like any other crop.
This is from Sicily but you can see the same in most Med countries and, very especially, Morocco where it takes 4 times as much growing surface as in its native Mexico.
The rackets are also use to feed cattle since some spineless varieties have been developed.
|
|
 |
 |
|