It is mightily strange how the internet can lead one down utterly random cul-de-sacs. A couple of weeks ago I had never really given the topic of 'people who eat soil' a moments thought. Now I have made a couple of blog posts on the subject and even read a good book, Everyman's Rules For Scientific Living
(as recommended by the seriously stylish Susan)

Soon I should be able to set up shop as some kind of authority on the subject of Geophagy... - here's another story from today's news: (I like the idea of taking the soil of your birthplace with you and eating it as a literal taste of home)

"A Cape Town woman addicted to eating soil says she is scared her craving will kill her chances of having children one day. Serial soil eater Thuli Malindzi, 22, has been eating earth for 10 years. She says the longer she eats it, the harder it becomes for her to stop.

"I started eating the soil when I was in primary school and I don't really remember how it started," said Malindzi. "Since I moved to Cape Town, it has been difficult to get the precise type of soil that I love. My sister and I usually bring it with us from the Eastern Cape."

Malindzi said the hard bits of clay-like earth, which resembles fudge, was delicious. "The soil tastes sweet and has a hint of sourness," she said. "The ones I find here don't taste like that." Malindzi, from Du Noon, said she always has a fix nearby. "When I crave the clay my mouth fills with saliva and my jaws give off a tingling sensation. "It is really intense and if I don't have the soil with me, I eat a chocolate but I would still need to eat the soil when I get home. "I make sure that I never run out because it would drive me crazy. I eat a block of soil every day."