Entomophagy - Why should our pets be the only ones to eat bugs?

The Snark · Apr 15, 2012

I'm considering getting off me tush and doing a little photo essay of local bugs commonly eaten including the farming/breeding of these. My SO mentioned the most common around here are crickets which are sold from large clear plastic breeding jars that contain thousands. We haven't seen any of those lately but we haven't haunted the evening markets very often. Is there enough interest in this to motivate me?

Ungoliant · Apr 16, 2012

I've never intentionally eaten a bug. It doesn't sound particularly appetizing, but I am willing to try most foods provided that they are handled and prepared in accordance with basic food safety principles.

Thistles · Apr 16, 2012

The Snark said:
The broader view of things. As long as food is viewed first and foremost as mouth entertainment, our longevity will suffer, diseases that were once rarities will become more and more commonplace (as arteriosclerosis and diabetes), junk food marketers will continue to make obscene amounts of profit, the environment will eventually be irreparably damaged, and millions of people, especially children, will continue to starve to death.

Eat bugs or whatever? How about just looking at things sensibly? What 'fuel' will let me live a long healthy life? Why not bugs? Millions of pounds of pink slime goes down that hole every year. Pink slime, aka offal, aka animal based filler material, aka hot dogs etc.
Offal: The parts of a butchered animal that are, or once were, considered inedible by human beings. Eyeballs, entrails, carcinomas, bone shavings etc. Sure seems like the modern diet is already including far weirder crud than a few insects or spiders.

You just made several of the main arguments for vegetarian or veganism. The "western" diet is such harmful, wasteful garbage. Not only is it bad for the individual people eating this crap, it is killing the planet and squandering resources that could be used to feed those who need it most. Imagine if all the food we feed to our livestock were used to feed people. Our lifestyle is absolutely indefensibly insane.

Hayden · Apr 16, 2012

My freshman year of college my bio teacher let us eat bugs for extra credit.

I got an A+.

Aurelia · Apr 16, 2012

I took the class that did this- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmVkalog_Po

I now work in the same building as Dr. Dunkel (professor in this video).

SamuraiSid · Apr 18, 2012

The Snark said:
I'm considering getting off me tush and doing a little photo essay of local bugs commonly eaten including the farming/breeding of these. My SO mentioned the most common around here are crickets which are sold from large clear plastic breeding jars that contain thousands. We haven't seen any of those lately but we haven't haunted the evening markets very often. Is there enough interest in this to motivate me?

I should hope so!!!

Im already salivating, seriously. I eat fairly healthy, but its a western diet all the same. Why should my "pets" eat better than I do?

@ Galapoheros: I 100% agree with you, man, and have read many such books. Unfortunately its left a large cynical stain on my character, be weary

cacoseraph · Apr 18, 2012

i'm very happy to see there was already some people interested and some people that might be getting interested

at this point i am going to email Dave Gracer and get a list of known tasty bugs and then start making a state by state list of where you can find them

Chiwoh · Apr 18, 2012

Nice topic! So, here it goes. One of the leading experts in the field is Dr. Julieta Ramos Elorduy, a biologist from Mexico. I would suggest anybody interested in entomophagy to do a search of her articles. She has been working on this topic for over 25 years, and has created a catalog with 505 edible insect species. Some of the articles are written in Spanish and translated to English, so it shouldn’t be a problem. You will find this to be true with many interesting scientific publications as Mexico is leading the research in entomophagy. On another note, she's also the author of the book called “Creepy Crawly Cuisine”, in case you want to know some recipes. Hope it helps!

Cheers

Trogdora · Apr 18, 2012

Haven't eaten any bugs besides a mealworm some 10+ years ago, but the subject fascinates me. One of my favorite websites on entomophagy is girlmeetsbug.com. She's got some interesting articles up as well as plenty of links to places to get bugs to eat. Yum!

zonbonzovi · Apr 19, 2012

Only skimmed through this and it seems I'm on on borrowed time this week:

Assessing the potential of insects as food and feed in assuring food security
www.fao.org/docrep/015/an233e/an233e00.pdf

As compiled by Mr. Yde Jongema via this web address: http://www.ent.wur.nl/UK/Edible+insects/Worldwide+species+list/
Worldlistofedibleinsectspecies42012.pdf

UN page on insect edibility:
http://www.fao.org/forestry/edibleinsects/en/

Sign up via Facebook to receive a newsletter on updates in research:
http://www.foodinsectsnewsletter.org/

(Thanks to 'All Things Bugs' on FB for providing the initial link)

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Edit: Trogdora's link revealed another conference w/ interesting pdf's:

http://www.sifat.org/workshop4.html

Bugs In Cyberspace · Apr 20, 2012

Last time I went to this local joint they served grasshoppers Oaxaca-style:

http://www.lacalacacomelona.com/index.html

Little salty but inside a corn tortilla with a generous amount of salsa and what doesn't taste good?

This thread is makin' me hungry!

Dave used to have a website called Sunrise Land Shrimp. He sent me a bag of goodies once--baked bugs of various kinds. They didn't taste too fantastic being dried out and all. I think a stir fry application would suit me best, with fresh bugs and maybe a nice Thai peanut sauce. Not sure where Dave's at these days.

Ognyen · Apr 20, 2012

More Entomophagy

This thread is what got me here on the Arachnoboards. I saw Dave Gracer's name mentioned --a most-excellent resource guy, and co-editor of The Food Insects Newsletter. If you want to get more into entomophagy, check out our Missouri Entomophagy group at Facebook. It's quite active, and way more than just Missouri --thanks to the enthusiastic members. Bugs aren't a major part of my diet, but I've been knowingly eating them, and sharing my findings with the public for nearly 10 years. Daniella Martin has a neat cooking video where she shows you how to make deep-fried scorpion. Check her out at www.girlmeetsbug.com That would count as being quite arachno-related.

cacoseraph · Apr 21, 2012

thanks to all

i'm pretty busy right now but i should be digesting (see what i did there? =P ) all the links and info i have been given and then starting on compiling my state by state list fairly soon (on the order of single digit weeks, i would hope). it seems like this will actually turn out to be, by far, the most ambitious list i have attempted yet and that i might need to design and implement some kind of programmatic solution to help me with it... that could be a sweet pay off if i can do something sufficiently clever

cacoseraph · May 9, 2012

busy as heck, i work 6 days a week and my critters take up half of the seventh =P

i heard from Gracer again and he is pretty excited about what he has going on and wants to get something going with Tucson people or very probably (once i tell him) AB folks

here is something i saw on my facebook feed
"Local expert gets funding to develop food based on insects"
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20120509/ARTICLES/120509543/1139

Shrike · May 10, 2012

How about a little mainstream entomophagy? Oyamel (an upscale Mexican restaurant in DC) serves Chapulines tacos, "the legendary Oaxacan specialty of sautéed grasshoppers, shallots, tequila and guacamole." I'm definitely a fan.

zonbonzovi · May 10, 2012

Gracer = All Things Bugs. I just made the connection and feel like a nitwit lol.

I've been reading "Smoking Ears and Screaming Teeth" by Trevor Norton: mostly about self-experimentation by early scientists but has a lot of anecdotes of entomophagy. Check out, in particular, Frank Buckland & Chuck Darwin's cousin, Sir Francis Galton.

Malhavoc's · May 11, 2012

Any good recipe compliation websites out there?

Robotponys · May 11, 2012

The only bug I've eaten was crickets, on tacos once, and the other was straight from a box. This was in NYC in a restaurant and I was about 5 or 6. VERY salty, not very good IMO.

zonbonzovi · May 11, 2012

Malhavoc's said:
Any good recipe compliation websites out there?

Mostly dessert oriented:

http://insectsarefood.com/recipes.php

http://www.saxonweb.com/church/insects.htm

http://worldento.com/index.php/central/recipes

The Snark · May 12, 2012

In the past few days we have been having massive termite swarms. People have been gathering under the street lights at dusk to collect them. The going rate has been around 1200 baht, about $33 a kilogram. Seems like most of southeast Asia is going around belching termite sauces and sautes. Our cat, which is in fact a subspecies of ghoul, is back to looking like she ate a cantaloupe after a nights grazing in the carport. It enjoys the termites almost as much as roadkill snakes, toads and frogs, well aged to bring out the piquant flavor. (If you value your sinuses and sanity, do NOT smell it's breath)

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