kengr

Cattail roots are edible. You roast them much like any other tuber. And the "tail" part is edible as well. I forget how you prepare them.

And yes, bamboo shoots *are* edible. They are found in a number of Chinese and pseudo-Chinese dishes. Heck, check the Oriental foods section and you'll find them in cans.

No weirder than alfalfa sprouts being edible.