The Mushroom at the End of the World

This interlude is marked by a picture of matsutake mushrooms out of their natural habitat. They sit in a wooden box on a desk. Below the wooden lid is a calculator, and next to it, a pad of paper. Part of a plastic telephone is visible, as are other plastic trays that contain paper. The photo is a study in contrast: that Tsing calls, “still life at an intermediate wholesaler’s booth “(109). Decidedly modern office accoutrements accompany a displaced mushroom, now being assigned monetary value. This interlude clearly marks a shift in the work, as subsequent chapters will approach matsutake more in terms of their monetary value.