Michelle Mazur, guest barfblogger: Insect, the other white meat
Earlier this month Doug talked about entomophagy, the practice of eating insects as food. It’s no mystery that many cultures eat bugs for nutrition. However this is not the case for the cultures of the United States and Europe, where not only are bugs unappetizing, but there is an entire market devoted to their extermination.
Western culture has put a certain social taboo on insects in general. If a cockroach is found in a kitchen of a restaurant, health inspectors will shut the place down. But who can blame them? Most Americans are brought up to find bugs disgusting and dirty.
As part of an introductory entomology class in my undergraduate work, I had the chance to try cookies containing dried crickets and salsa containing live mealworms. I definitely was not excited about tasting either of them, but you would be surprised what some students would do for extra credit. After sampling the supposedly “tasty treats” I have to admit that they weren’t half bad; in fact they tasted completely normal.
Just as a cook might add tofu to a noodle dish, there is also the option of earthworms or grasshoppers for an extra dose of protein. And a large number of countries have a booming market for raising insects, just as there is a market here in Kansas for raising beef cattle.
Not only would there be a little more variety in food options, but also the option to “go green” in other ways than driving a hybrid. Multiple studies and articles have been written about how insects are much more efficient converters of energy compared to typical farm animals. Bryan Walsh of Time.com has a terrific article about how environmentally friendly insects can be used as a food source.
Now I’ve read the articles too, but the first large hurdle to jump over will be the cultural taboo. The food industry of Western culture will have a hard time changing “Waiter, waiter, there is a fly in my soup!” into “Waiter, waiter, I do not have enough flies in my soup!”
Western culture has put a certain social taboo on insects in general. If a cockroach is found in a kitchen of a restaurant, health inspectors will shut the place down. But who can blame them? Most Americans are brought up to find bugs disgusting and dirty.
As part of an introductory entomology class in my undergraduate work, I had the chance to try cookies containing dried crickets and salsa containing live mealworms. I definitely was not excited about tasting either of them, but you would be surprised what some students would do for extra credit. After sampling the supposedly “tasty treats” I have to admit that they weren’t half bad; in fact they tasted completely normal.
Just as a cook might add tofu to a noodle dish, there is also the option of earthworms or grasshoppers for an extra dose of protein. And a large number of countries have a booming market for raising insects, just as there is a market here in Kansas for raising beef cattle.
Not only would there be a little more variety in food options, but also the option to “go green” in other ways than driving a hybrid. Multiple studies and articles have been written about how insects are much more efficient converters of energy compared to typical farm animals. Bryan Walsh of Time.com has a terrific article about how environmentally friendly insects can be used as a food source.
Now I’ve read the articles too, but the first large hurdle to jump over will be the cultural taboo. The food industry of Western culture will have a hard time changing “Waiter, waiter, there is a fly in my soup!” into “Waiter, waiter, I do not have enough flies in my soup!”
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I completely agree, but here's a somewhat strange question. I have not had even a bite of meat for more than 15 years, yet I eat seafood. Just the other day, someone told me this makes me a pescatarian. So where do insects fit on this? They are not seafood, I know, but are they meat?
Michelle, You must be the person who did the Japanese Power Point presentation - 20 seconds per slide - at the NEHA conference, right? That was a great presentation. Thanks for bringing insect eating to our attention. I guess the question is, do flies and insects actually carry disease pathogens on their body that could result in disease transmission if eaten uncooked.
Dan – Insects are considered arthropods, so they would not fit into the meat category, however they are full of protein, so they are a good substitute for meat. Just as many people might substitute tofu for chicken, I believe that insects can also be a great substitute. The title of the post, Insect: The other white meat, was simply a play on words, when in fact insects are not meat.
Joyce – Unfortunately I was not at the NEHA conference, though I am glad to hear that you enjoyed a Japanese powerpoint presentation. As far as insects carrying disease pathogens, any living creature can be contaminated with pathogens, but that’s why we consume animals that are raised in controlled setting. For example, birds are known to carry many different diseases, but we do consume chickens that are raised in a controlled environment on a farm. In the proper environment, bugs can be raised disease-free for human consumption. It’s mainly just the cultural taboo that is the hurdle.
For more entomophagy entertainment, you can watch David Gracer on the Colbert Report (http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml?videoId=156551) talk about entomaphagy.