Ah, this is eye-opening: > John Cage never stopped foraging for rare mushrooms and truffles - what was once his primary skill for sustenance during the Great Depression had transformed into his main source of income well into the peak of his musical career. [...] Michelin Star restaurants in Manhattan paid top dollar for Cage’s [truffles], enough to make sure he could spend the majority of his time composing and writing. https://klangmag.co/lifers-dayjobbers-and-the-independently-wealthy-a-letter-to-a-former-student/