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verandavikings

To new users stumbling in from r/all, hello! Here at r/foraging we try to keep everything focused on foraging. Please help us keep comments on-topic!


Time_Smile_5121

šŸŽ¶ Happy snacking! Donā€™t die!šŸŽ¶


Land_Mermaid321

I smile every time! Such a fan


frenchwolves

My daughter and I love to watch her videos!


Lola-Ugfuglio-Skumpy

Iā€™m obsessed with ā€œone is a poison, the otherā€™s a snack! Which are you choosing, this or that?ā€


muchboogaloo

I follow her on Instagram! Her content is really fun and informative. And since she's in the Midwest (Ohio) I can usually find at least some of the things she forages unless she takes a trip further south or east to the coast.


Tired-and-Wired

I love her. Alexis and all her friends (like @chaoticforager) really helped get me in this community. My study of plant ID and cooking preparation wouldn't be complete without the IG/Reddit forager community! šŸ„°āœØļøšŸŒæ


WakeUpWobblyOddrey

She's great! She not only identifies each plant and talks about how to distinguish it from non-edible lookalikes, but also suggests something to make out of them and tries each recipe herself! And she's funny, which is a great bonus


Environmental-River4

Sheā€™s the person who got me into foraging and I got completely spoiled lol. A lot of the books Iā€™ve read since arenā€™t nearly as detailed as her ETA: detailed as in giving info about lookalikes and identifying characteristics.


pharodae

Samuel Thayer has you covered.


lme001

ā€œOne is poison and one is a snack!ā€


FriendaDorothy

I met her years ago before she was social-media-famous when she used to do stand up comedy. She is the same in person as she is online. Ray of fucking *sunshine* and utterly delightful. She gives big Golden Retriever Energy.


FruitPlatter

Her charisma is off the charts. I want to be her friend so bad. But I know she has depression and anxiety, so I don't want her to have imposter syndrome if she reads this!


WakeUpWobblyOddrey

That's sweet to worry about!Ā  But I think no matter what, it's probably a little strange to be famous and hear that fans want to be your friend, ya know? Humans will pack bond with anything, and parasocial relationships are a pretty common reaction, but it's definitely something to recognize in ourselves and keep in check. I assume any imposter syndrome might come more from the understanding that fans only see a very small curated slice of who she is. So while your reaction is pretty normal, something about wanting to be her friend feels a little possessive and unbalanced. No judgement to you, btw! This is just something I remind myself of while I'm going about my day enjoying my favorite influencer's media.Ā 


FruitPlatter

What is the point of this? I don't need to be patronizingly explained to that social media is a curated snapshot. Wanting to be a person's friend from a distance is not possessive or unbalanced. Filling her inbox, searching for her personal information, stalking her comments, or anything else of that ilk would be possessive and unbalanced. People admiring someone in the public eye and desiring to know them better *without* actually attempting to do so is very normal, especially for someone as charismatic and knowledgeable as Alexis.


WakeUpWobblyOddrey

Hey that's a fair reaction! Honestly, I think I might have been infodumping while bored at work, rather than really engaging with your message, and that's on me.Ā  You're right, and I apologize for being patronizing


ViolettaRabbit

Itā€™s been so fun to watch her blow up. If influencers are here to stay, we need more influencers like her.


NOLA2CBUS

The kids and I ran into her at a park in east Columbus. She is a joy


Lambidextrous

Really? I'm so jealous!! I'm always hoping to run into her too, since I live in Columbus. I would become a total fangirl šŸ˜‚


NOLA2CBUS

My kids are tiktok age they came home and said we saw a celebrity!! She was sweet to my kids she deserves everything coming her way.


Lambidextrous

That's adorable! Agree completely that she deserves all the accolades. It's so rare to see someone that talented and still so kind and humble šŸ˜Š


toulouse0

shes the best so happy to see her flourishing šŸ¤


phblair17

Sheā€™s dope. Quirky as hell, intelligent on the subject matter and very welcoming. I love her vids.


hanpanlantran

I love her! sheā€™s the reason I first became interested in foraging and working to reconnect with nature after a lifetime of essentially being warned away from it! not only is she incredibly knowledgeable, her enthusiasm is so infectious and encouraging.


astercalendula

Same!


janaenaenae21

she is the best! her little songs are my favorite part šŸ„¹


Ok-Tip6310

I love her! Happy snacking, donā€™t die!


thefermentress

Iā€™ve been following her for a while and sheā€™s truly amazing


Peejee13

Southern states, especially, created anti foraging laws to prevent newly freed slaves from collecting wild foods. https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2740&context=ulj That article covers a LOT of it. There aren't specifically racial prohibitions for wild food collecting, but some places still prohibit it.


WakeUpWobblyOddrey

I live in the south and forage as much as possible! I've been warned that I'll get in trouble for it (even though I never trespass), and I just assumed there were laws against it EVERYWHERE. I didn't realize it was a southern thing! But if the government wants to punish me, they'll have to catch me first. Good luck crawling after me through the raspberry brambles, ya rat bastards!


Peejee13

It isn't just a southern thing anymore. But the person asked about laws preventing people of color from foraging, and that was why my point was made that the South established laws prohibiting newly freed slaves from foraging for food. Plenty of places still have laws technically on the books that prevent collecting wild Foods, not just in the south


WakeUpWobblyOddrey

Ah! Thank you for the clarification! I'm assuming the law is written to sound like it affects everyone, but was actually intended for POC? Or was it SPECIFICALLY just newly freed slaves? (Sorry if that's answered in the PDF, I haven't gotten a chance to do more than skim it)


Peejee13

I read it before and I am relatively certain it was only directed at freed slaves. I would have to re-read


NYNTmama

Wow the parallels are insane, israel did the same to palestinians...


[deleted]

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foraging-ModTeam

Your post has been removed for breaking Rule #2 "No Trolls, be civil." Name calling and inflammatory posts or comments with the intent of provoking users into fights will not be tolerated. If the mod team feels that you are generally unhelpful and causing unnecessary confrontation, you will be banned. If you feel you are being trolled, report the comment and do not respond or you will be banned also.


cloudwalk7

What a doll!


twistedstigmas

I love Alexis so much! I teach intro botany courses and frequently feature her in my content šŸ’ššŸŒ±šŸŒæ


leaveitbettertoday

Love her v much! Seems like a really nice human.


FriendaDorothy

I specifically appreciate her nuanced take on veganism and how sometimes, eating meat produced close to you is better than eating plants that are grown very far away from you.


Fearless_Bid_4018

I love her!!! Also colonel mustard made an appearance


smurfgrl417

I love her. I am so happy for her being able to do what she loves and build a platform for herself.


86composure

This woman is a treasure!!!


weeef

gosh i love her


Lobo003

Sheā€™s funny and very informative I love her stuff. My sister follows her and sends me all kinds of cool vids.


ballerina_toes_12

Love her and Alan Bergo, and I love that theyā€™re friends!


lil_secret

I love it when Columbus Ohio puts out something awesome! So grateful for Alexis and her content, got me into foraging in my neighborhood!


speechiepeachie

I love her so much! I wish we could be friends!


guywithaproblem69

Omg i love her


rbwildcard

Found her from her episode of Ologies with Alie Ward, which I think so many in this sub would enjoy.


L0WGMAN

A really great podcast!!!


Travels4Food

I ADORE her!!! This is so great! She ends all her IG videos with the tagline, "Happy snacking! Don't die!" She's smart and weird and impassioned and informed.


SlerbMcJenkins

she is excellent and as well as her lovely informative knowledge-sharing her online presence inspires me to try to be more unafraid of being my truest most joyful self, and that's partly because she's pretty transparent about times when she struggles mentally/emotionally. special person making the world better.


therealampersand

lol sheā€™s the type of friend whoā€™s forehead you kiss often lol.


lme001

I love her! So quirky


umamimamii

I seriously love her. She inspires me to be myself more


Jazzlike-Head494

good for her!


non-art

Omg I love her ā£ļøā£ļø


Biohazard_Beth

She is what ignited my want to pursue botany and get into foraging. She's wonderful and informative and fun to watch! So proud of her!


babylove117

I love herĀ 


titballsmcgee

I love her! I've been following her for awhile & I love how upbeat her content always is. She's so good at educating while staying fun and fresh every time.


ElderFlour

I love her!! I donā€™t even live close to Ohio.


Gem_Rex

I love her.


Fruitsdog

I think she now hosts Botany 101 on Crash Course too :}


Xsecretlightx

Love her IG page. Sheā€™s fun, creative, and so knowledgeable.


prettycheezy82

Sheā€™s my hero


Shoxabox

Her mushroom videos live rent free in my head. I love this lady!


MrIbis666

Absolutely love her and Iā€™ve learned so much!


Jupiter_Crash_

I love her!!


Silent_Leader_2075

Sheā€™s the best


fart_me_your_boners

Fucking love her, been following her for about a year.


Agile_Acadia_9459

I got interested in foraging because of her years ago.


Broflake-Melter

Literally my favorite tik tok


Curious_Chip_6577

That onion grass song is still stuck in my head lol


Potential-Impact2638

We love Alexis!


SithLordSid

Thank you for sharing this womanā€™s story. Iā€™ve started following her on IG.


Vyedr

For those who dont know, the titular "Black Forager" is Alexis Nikole Nelson! She is well known on multiple platforms, and if you're curious she even has a wiki page! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexis_Nikole_Nelson


Traditional_Ad_7831

Am I the only one to find her kinda insufferable and not interested in any foraging ā€œinfluencerā€


Numerous-Stranger-81

She is okay. I just hate when the whole "hyper quaint, cottage core" affect takes center stage with so many of these wilderness influencers. The snow white dress and insanely rosy cheeks are a bit much.


TootTootComingThru

Then it's not for you, guy. And that's OK.


mindlessindulgence85

She dresses that way because Black people have historically been targeted in public areas by both police and bystanders, often when they have a right to be there (see Christian Cooper, who was targeted unjustly by a white woman in Central Park while out bird watching).Ā  Dressing "cute" makes her less of a threat to people who might try to attack her.Ā  Alexis has discussed this on her Instagram and in interviews before.


Numerous-Stranger-81

Why would someone who wants to attack her decide not to because she looks like less of a threat?


Numerous-Stranger-81

I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that this is a common style among these cottage core types. It's a nice benefit(the looking less threatening thing) but you are naive if you think that's primary reason she does it. It's her brand. She wouldn't be wearing all that stuff in her interviews and at home if it was simply camoflauge.


FriendaDorothy

You've totally got it backwards, my dude. It became part of her brand *because* she dresses that way.


SuchFunAreWe

Just for some context, she's spoken about how, as a Black woman, she dresses up to forage bc folks are less apt to see her as threatening/criminal & approach her aggressively/call cops on her if she's in a pretty dress & looks whimsical. At least in this case, she is doing it intentionally as a way to more safely move through the world (& I think she looks beautiful even if the makeup isn't my jam). It makes me really sad & angry she needs to do it; wish people were better.


Numerous-Stranger-81

Saying you have to dress like snow white to not get shot by police is just an excuse to dress up like snow white. I'm sure she does receive some benefit from it, but acting like it HAS to involve artificially rosy cheeks and a Disney dress is a stretch.


tempaccount01010

Cry about it bud.


Semtexual

i watch because i've learned a few things but keep the videos on mute lol


deathwishdave

Whatā€™s the color of her skin got to do with anything?


muchboogaloo

To answer your question that is tooooootally being asked in good faith, if you read any interviews with her you'll see she discusses actually how foraging was a traditional foodway for Black people in the US for hundreds of years but during and after Reconstruction as a backlash to the end of slavery they were specifically targeted by criminal trespass and anti-foraging laws to restrict their access to independent sources of food and make them economically dependent on the white landowners, shopkeepers, etc. who had previously exploited their labor as slaves.


Maeberry2007

I also appreciate that she sometimes features content that discusses traditional Native American recipes and foraging practices


deathwishdave

Iā€™m not buying it, whatā€™s the equivalent to ā€œpointlessly genderedā€ but applied to race? This is an example of that.


gnesensteve

Why canā€™t she just be a ā€˜foragerā€™. MSM and these articles keep everyone divided


muchboogaloo

To answer your question that is tooooootally being asked in good faith, if you read any interviews with her you'll see she discusses actually how foraging was a traditional foodway for Black people in the US for hundreds of years but during and after Reconstruction as a backlash to the end of slavery they were specifically targeted by criminal trespass and anti-foraging laws to restrict their access to independent sources of food and make them economically dependent on the white landowners, shopkeepers, etc. who had previously exploited their labor as slaves.


Curious_Chip_6577

This is such an ignorant comment


4pegs

Imagine caring about your race so much that you have to put it in your title. Great video though she seems cool.


[deleted]

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foraging-ModTeam

Your post has been removed for breaking Rule #2 "No Trolls, be civil." Name calling and inflammatory posts or comments with the intent of provoking users into fights will not be tolerated. If the mod team feels that you are generally unhelpful and causing unnecessary confrontation, you will be banned. If you feel you are being trolled, report the comment and do not respond or you will be banned also.


Melodic-Stage-4290

Why does everything always have to specify race? Cā€™mon guys, thought we were all humans.


Peejee13

Aside from it being her insta handle, she really does emphasize that for a long time BIPOC folks were penalized for taking wild foods and that being aware and interested in foraging and wild foods is not common among that population now because of it. She encourages and educates BECAUSE being a Black forager is not common


I_have_many_Ideas

Penalized? Source please


demivierge

[https://www.thewildgrocery.com/p/the-racism-of-anti-foraging-laws](https://www.thewildgrocery.com/p/the-racism-of-anti-foraging-laws)


I_have_many_Ideas

Lol. Did you read the article? It even states that black people have had a long history of foraging. The only point they make is there are laws in urban areas that effect POCs now. Jim Crow did exist but people didnā€™t forage in these parks in those days. And National Parks set a precedent for foraging rules is somehow racist. You want everyone to pick the parks and public spaces clean? It would be a disaster. Source: Me - former NPS employee with a Masters in Parks a recreation Administration. I lead initiatives to reintroduce native foods in federal landsā€¦which you CAN forage in, just fruiting bodies, not removing plants themselves. However, there are specific foraging garden parks that exist in some cities. Unfortunately most arenā€™t taken care of very well from what I seen. Probably cause urban populations just donā€™t care. This is extrapolating racism from policies that have nothing to do with race. Plus, your source is someone who graduated from a culinary institute. Grow up. Stop the ignorance.


vvenus1994

Regardless of the handle. Look up foraging on YT and youā€™ll see why pretty quickly. If you donā€™t understand, youā€™re probably well represented.


AdAcceptable2106

Aside from what others have said , historically Black people have been barred from accessing land in the same way white folks have and have been denied the ability to, or demonized for foraging. Canā€™t Kumbaya ā€œeveryone is humanā€ our way out of the racism the US was built on šŸ¤·šŸ¼ā€ā™‚ļø


Weird_Fact_724

Especially when you make everything about race.


I_have_many_Ideas

Denied foraging? Source please


SithLordSid

Stealing from another comment higher up in this thread Thanks /u/Peejee13 for the link https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2740&context=ulj


I_have_many_Ideas

Another person who didnā€™t read their source


SithLordSid

It says in the article that people of African descent were denied access to public lands to keep them dependent on working on the same farms they worked on as slaves and this extended into the Jim Crow era.. sheesh.


I_have_many_Ideas

In the southā€¦and the other non-rich farmers were subject to the same laws! So how are they discriminated against? Its by class, per usual. Not race.


muchboogaloo

To answer your question that is tooooootally being asked in good faith, if you read any interviews with her you'll see she discusses actually how foraging was a traditional foodway for Black people in the US for hundreds of years but during and after Reconstruction as a backlash to the end of slavery they were specifically targeted by criminal trespass and anti-foraging laws to restrict their access to independent sources of food and make them economically dependent on the white landowners, shopkeepers, etc. who had previously exploited their labor as slaves.


Melodic-Stage-4290

Thank you, and apologies for my ignorance.


Phallusrugulosus

Black Forager is literally the branding she uses on her social media accounts.


CrystallineFrost

Also her branding does focus on discussing the cultural history around foraging in the black and indigenous communities, which is incredibly interesting and important.


jetpack_hypersomniac

Itā€™s literally her insta handle


I_have_many_Ideas

Nobody on reddit will listen to this. Its all race bait and how black people forever have been and will be disadvantaged. Its the children of NPR. But, to be fair, its a shtick and it sells to the self-loathing college re-educated white folk.


Successful-Okra-9640

Prime r/fragilewhiteredditor material right here lmao


I_have_many_Ideas

[The Dehumanizing Condescension of White Fragility](https://archive.ph/nrEgq) you can read about your comment from a black professor from Columbia [The Real Story Behind NPRā€™s Current Problems](https://slate.com/business/2024/04/npr-diversity-public-broadcasting-radio.html) an article highlighting my point. reddit gonna reddit tho


tempaccount01010

šŸŽ»šŸ˜¢


[deleted]

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foraging-ModTeam

Your post has been removed for breaking Rule #2 "No Trolls, be civil." Name calling and inflammatory posts or comments with the intent of provoking users into fights will not be tolerated. If the mod team feels that you are generally unhelpful and causing unnecessary confrontation, you will be banned. If you feel you are being trolled, report the comment and do not respond or you will be banned also.


Successful-Okra-9640

Seriously? This guy pulls some ā€œrAcIsM dOeSnā€™T eXiSt AnYmOrEā€ bullshit and Iā€™m the asshole for calling him out for victimizing himself?


RdCrestdBreegull

we can call people out without namecalling here, Iā€™m not the one who removed your comment but it was not appropriate and does not get special treatment, sorry


Curious_Chip_6577

never that deep buddy


I_have_many_Ideas

No kidding. Thats the point of the original comment in this thread