Indeterminacy 66

Betty Isaacs told me that when she
was in New Zealand she was informed
that none of the mushrooms growing wild
there was poisonous.
So one day when she noticed
a hillside covered with fungi,
she gathered a lot and made
catsup. When she finished
the catsup, she tasted it
and it was awful.
Nevertheless she bottled it and put
it up on a high shelf.
A year later she was housecleaning
and discovered the catsup,
which she had forgotten about.
She was on the point of throwing
it away. But before doing
this she tasted it.
It had changed color.
Originally a dirty gray,
it had become black, and,
as she told me,
it was divine, improving
the flavor of whatever it touched.

- John Cage