Ever eaten live bugs?

[PhilK]

It's probably MORE humane to eat inverts as they don't feel pain and have a much lower sense of awareness. So if you feel bad for eating animals, you're better of sticking to an invert only diet.

 

[Choobaine]

Not to mention it's high in protean and relatively low in fat. It's healthy food, tasty and you can breed it in your own house. It's rather common in Africa and Aisia and it's slowly breaking into western culture. Some western people find it shocking and exiting to try bugs, that's why there's a large restaurant that's been running for a good few years in Germany that serves bugs as it's theme. I'll dig up the name for you later. Anyway below I did a search for various sites that feature eating bugs, and the nutritional value of various popular foods.

Let me give you a few quotes incase you don't want (or are too lazy as the case may be) to read the whole thing:

"Due to their high nutritional value, in some regions, flour made from caterpillars is mixed to prepare pulp given to children to counter malnutrition," said Paul Vantomme. "Contrary to what many may think, caterpillars are not considered an emergency food, but are an integral part of the diet in many regions according to seasonal availability. They are consumed as a delicacy," he said."

"Among the numerous examples that could be cited, the
Yukpa people of Colombia and Venezuela preferred
certain of their traditional insect foods to fresh meat, as
do the Pedi of South Africa, (Quin, 1959)."

"The results of this study confirm the fact that insects are
indeed a good source of protein and other nutrients. The
consumption of non-toxic insects therefore, should be
encouraged. Insects are traditional foods in most
cultures, playing an important role in human nutrition and
have much nutrient to offer."

And so I say this: It is in fact very very human to eat bugs.

http://www.food-insects.com/Insects as Human Food.htm

http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2004/51409/index.html

http://www.academicjournals.org/AJB/PDF/pdf2006/2Feb/Banjo et al.pdf

Case closed

 

[Truff135]

Maybe I'm too sheltered/close-minded but I don't think I could ever eat a bug whole unless my life depended on it. There's just something about the body being intact and whatever that just...ew. Are they dead before you eat them or do you just pick up a bug and munch it? Now, if it was ground-up and used in something else like the caterpillar flour example, I probably wouldn't mind but I can't even stand stepping on crunchy bugs because of the sound, I can't imagine having that crunch in my mouth.
It's not just bugs I couldn't eat whole...that includes anything where the head is still there looking at me. Crab legs, not a problem...lobster tail, not a problem...WHOLE crab/lobster/bug/etc...that's a problem. :8o
I've probably accidentally eaten/swallowed a bug but never on purpose.

 

[RoachGirlRen]

I haven't eaten live insects, but in my younger days before I stopped eating animal products, I had plenty of cooked, candied, and freeze-dried invertebrates. Crickets, mealworms, super worms, scorpions, ants, earth worms, etc. I thought mealies and super worms were very tasty baked and salted.
I find it funny that people are so wigged out by the thought of eating various terrestrial insects, arachnids, and larvae, when most people happily chow down on shrimp, lobster, crab, crayfish, escargot, octopus, squid, clams, and oyster - all of which are also invertebrates, of course.

 

[cacoseraph]

I find it funny that people are so wigged out by the thought of eating various terrestrial insects, arachnids, and larvae, when most people happily chow down on shrimp, lobster, crab, crayfish, escargot, octopus, squid, clams, and oyster - all of which are also invertebrates, of course.

and most of what you listed are bottom feeding detritivores or filter feeders... just about the grossest animals out there, in certain respects

damned tasty though

 

[Black Widow88]

No I just never knew people would eat earthworms.

Black Widow88

 

[thedude]

i never kujed the taste of live bugs.. but cooked ones MMMMMMmmmmm

ant pupa, giant water bugs, crickets and wax worms... all tastes good

 

[Cirith Ungol]

No I just never knew people would eat earthworms.

Black Widow88

Haha. I'm not the first. They did in the middle ages where they kooked entire stews of them.

 

[Truff135]

...I find it funny that people are so wigged out by the thought of eating various terrestrial insects, arachnids, and larvae, when most people happily chow down on shrimp, lobster, crab, crayfish, escargot, octopus, squid, clams, and oyster - all of which are also invertebrates, of course.

I only eat parts of shrimp/lobster/crab. The rest I have never tried. Though now that you mention it, I do eat crab legs without second thought, yet I probably would have a hard time eating something like a beetle leg. Perhaps it has something to do with the way some of us are generally raised. I feel bad for being that way but when it's something you've always been taught to think is gross or whatever, it's hard to get by that. To be honest there's a 99.9% probability that I'll never eat a bug. I don't feel that I'm nutritionally lacking in any way to warrant eating it. If I've never done it up until now, why start?

 

[Black Widow88]

Haha. I'm not the first. They did in the middle ages where they kooked entire stews of them.

Black Widow88

 

[tyrant963]

I recall watching Discovery Channel, and i saw this Bizarre Food Expo they have in New York. The people their were like millionaires all dressed up at this fancy ballroom. They served stuff like deep fried tarantulas, hissing roaches on a stick dipped in chocolate, cricket chips, and other strange things like that. Man I would pay to go there:drool: :drool: :drool:

 

[johnharper]

I saw that show too about the bizarre foods. I use to have a pet spiny soft shell turtle and it was crazy about night crawlers so one day at feeding time my curioisity got me and I ate one it was not real it kind of remind me of a raw oyster going down. No bad taste at all.

John

 

[Black Widow88]

I too saw that. I couldn't believe my eyes!

Black Widow88