A ‘Last of Us’ viewer poses a disturbing, but undeniably intriguing, question about post-apocalyptic diets

Think about it: You’re navigating a post-apocalyptic America in The Last of Us universe with nothing more than scraps of food, limited ammunition, and your wits. There’s only so many sources of food when the world is no longer able to reap the rewards of an advanced harvesting process, and is instead forced to resort to the basics of farming, breeding, and growing. Plus, not everyone has a green thumb, so gardening becomes a whole lot harder, not to mention the know-how required to nurture livestock and fatten them up for the slaughter and continue the breeding chain. Suddenly, the chances of survival are dwindling fast.

But fret not, for Reddit has the answer you seek to end your plight. All around you are Runners, Clickers, Bloaters and the like, zombified by the growth of Cordyceps fungus invading their minds and bodies. But what if — in a totally innocent, non-cannibalistic sense — you could get some extra use out a Clicker once you’ve taken it down with a makeshift blade?

Its all hypothetical, but in the grand scheme of things, would it even work? Well, one user took to Reddit for some insight on how breaking off pieces of a Clicker’s body and cooking it might be a self-sufficient method of surviving the outbreak. As discussed below, there are pros and cons to the suggestion, but the bad seems to drastically outweigh the good.

Naturally, such an out-the-box proposal prompted some hilarious reactions as fellow Redditors rushed to question the state of mind OP was in when dreaming up this scenario. It’s certainly creative, we’ll give them that.

On a more serious note, other comments humored the idea by mentioning that in the world of The Last of Us, there’s bound to be at least one person that had a similar epiphany and took a bite out of an Infected. Needless to say, they more than likely didn’t live to tell the tale, and there can’t be too many others willing to risk their lives and attempt it.

One particular brainiac also pointed out that fungi are generally dangerous no matter what, whether they’re eaten raw or cooked thoroughly. Some things just aren’t meant to be consumed, clearly.

We probably won’t see Joel or Ellie making the bone-headed decision to harvest a Clicker’s fungi, but it would certainly be a hilarious filler scene to witness a citizen giving it a try. Maybe then we’ll know for sure just how harmful Cordyceps truly is.