> I'm not sure I would agree that they taste good.
>
> If just go out in a rural/wilderness area and start
> tasting arbitrary leaves and
> stems, it will take me a long time to find something
> that tastes good.

Depends on the leaf or stem, and the individual
tasting it. Just like anything else. And, if H-G's had
as much "spare time" as is generally suggested, then
it's not hard to imagine them taking the time to find
things that taste good.

Human babies experiment a lot with taste. The majority
of things that go into a baby's mouth will be
rejected. But occasionally (to the consternation of
most parents), something will taste good and the baby
will proceed to eat it. It's a trait that may be even
more powerful in a natural setting.

> If I start tasting fruits, most of them will taste
> good.

True. I happen to really enjoy *some* fruits. I may,
or may not, enjoy the same fruits as you. Viva la
difference. It's what keeps things interesting.

>
> If I start tasting rocks, I will never find any that
> taste good. :-)

Babies (and toddlers) eat dirt too.

>
> The reason I mention the last one, is that it is
> unlikely that - after the first
> few rocks - anyone would continue tasting them, if
> there were some strawberries
> in the area.    Similarly, I contend that they would
> not keep trying leaves and
> stems, if there were strawberries in the area.

If they happen to like strawberries. I've known people
who would rather eat rocks than strawberries :)

What about boredom? Even a favorite food (like
strawberries in your example, or chocolate in the
modern world) can get boring after awhile (I'm sure
some chocoholics would argue that). So, a variety of
food choices would keep things interesting, especially
for a hunter-gatherer who doesn't have spices and
flavorings handy like a modern cook.

And, of course, favorite foods (like strawberries) are
not always available. It's really not a stretch to
imagine a H-G tasting (and perhaps enjoying) the
leaves of a particular plant while waiting for it to
bear fruit.

>
> Hence, my feeling that hunter-gatherers never ate a
> lot of the "leaf" and "stem"
> vegetables, such as lettuce and celery.    This
> indicates to me that such
> vegetables were "discovered" only later during the
> neolithic agricultural era.

It's probable that we have lettuce and celery because
they are easily domesticated plants. I believe they
were domesticated because they were "familiar" to the
early neolithic people as a normal part of their
traditional diet.

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