5 ms·

I agree with this article, unfortunately many of us are so psychologically averse to the thought, that it would be very difficult and require a cultural shift.

I agree with this article, unfortunately many of us are so psychologically averse to the thought, that it would be very difficult and require a cultural shift. I can't imagine eating them (even when ground up, or even if they had a "better name"), but maybe my children or grandchildren will (or must).

dcminter 13y ago
Are you sure you don't already? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmine http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmine
- yareally 13y ago
  I believe there's also an allocated % of accidental bug material that is allowed in food by the FDA because it can't always be avoided. If you've ever had ketchup, you've most certainly had a little bit of additional protein in there with it :)
bluedino 13y ago
I think the easy way to do this is not eat them in their regular form. Mix them up and add them to a recipe. You might not want to eat a spoonful of beetles but if they're ground up into a sauce, you'd never know.
riggins 13y ago
I can imagine eating them. but I'm not much of a foodie to start with.
benjamincburns 13y ago
I'm right there with you. Imagining crunching on a bug's exoskeleton and swallowing it nearly makes me gag. Repeatedly imagining it kills my apetite and makes me feel nauseous. However, I think there's hope for you and I. For a few years growing up my mom (a single mother) had trouble putting food on the table, so most nights we'd eat spaghetti with olive oil and broccoli. She was very anti-hunting, but she started dating a guy who hunted deer. After a while the prospect of large amounts of high-quality free meat (we almost never had meat) was too appealing to turn down. I remember the first time I witnessed a deer being butchered I experienced the same revulsion I describe above. My mom's boyfriend had a trick up his sleeve, however. Before we ever saw him butcher a deer, he made sure that we tried (and enjoyed) fresh deer loin and deer heart (sounds gross, but smooth muscle is delicious if prepared correctly). He didn't tell us what it was at first, and he cooked it in a way that pretty much any self-respecting meat-eater would love. It's kind of a tradition for the hunters in my hometown to cook up a fresh loin (and liver) they day they butcher a deer. Quite often that cut of meat never makes it into the fridge, and it's the best damn meal that animal will produce. Writing this it's hard not to salivate thinking about fresh loin sautéed in butter and garlic. Needless to say, after going through the process several times I went from being disgusted by the gutting, skinning, and butchering to being excited to participate and hungry for the results it would produce. If I can have that drastic a change over one type of food, why can't I over another?

dcminter 13y ago

Are you sure you don't already? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmine http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmine

yareally 13y ago
I believe there's also an allocated % of accidental bug material that is allowed in food by the FDA because it can't always be avoided. If you've ever had ketchup, you've most certainly had a little bit of additional protein in there with it :)

bluedino 13y ago

I think the easy way to do this is not eat them in their regular form. Mix them up and add them to a recipe. You might not want to eat a spoonful of beetles but if they're ground up into a sauce, you'd never know.

riggins 13y ago

I can imagine eating them. but I'm not much of a foodie to start with.

benjamincburns 13y ago

I'm right there with you. Imagining crunching on a bug's exoskeleton and swallowing it nearly makes me gag. Repeatedly imagining it kills my apetite and makes me feel nauseous. However, I think there's hope for you and I. For a few years growing up my mom (a single mother) had trouble putting food on the table, so most nights we'd eat spaghetti with olive oil and broccoli. She was very anti-hunting, but she started dating a guy who hunted deer. After a while the prospect of large amounts of high-quality free meat (we almost never had meat) was too appealing to turn down. I remember the first time I witnessed a deer being butchered I experienced the same revulsion I describe above. My mom's boyfriend had a trick up his sleeve, however. Before we ever saw him butcher a deer, he made sure that we tried (and enjoyed) fresh deer loin and deer heart (sounds gross, but smooth muscle is delicious if prepared correctly). He didn't tell us what it was at first, and he cooked it in a way that pretty much any self-respecting meat-eater would love. It's kind of a tradition for the hunters in my hometown to cook up a fresh loin (and liver) they day they butcher a deer. Quite often that cut of meat never makes it into the fridge, and it's the best damn meal that animal will produce. Writing this it's hard not to salivate thinking about fresh loin sautéed in butter and garlic. Needless to say, after going through the process several times I went from being disgusted by the gutting, skinning, and butchering to being excited to participate and hungry for the results it would produce. If I can have that drastic a change over one type of food, why can't I over another?