Insect-only eatery aims to make bugs palatable

[Socialhealer]

Y'all like no way! yet you'll eat chocolate which almost certainly has bugs in.

But people on this board would rather die from obesity than eat some bugs lol, whats more disgusting some bugs or your gut?

[Shadowferal]

Hell no!

[Graeham II]

It's not a necessity anywhere in the developed world to eat insects because of a dwindling food supply. Anyone saying otherwise is pushing Malthusian garbage.

Yeah, I don't expect it to happen anytime soon. There's a lot of alternatives that people can resort to before having to consume insects. People with a garden can grow things themselves. You can even get kits to grow things on a windowsill indoors. Then there's the ancient art of foraging - though that is trickier since it requires special knowledge and a good eye.

[Shadowferal]

Y'all like no way! yet you'll eat chocolate which almost certainly has bugs in.
But people on this board would rather die from obesity than eat some bugs lol, whats more disgusting some bugs or your gut?

You're logic is quite different from Earth logic.

[Socialhealer]

You're logic is quite different from Earth logic.

I am logic? your grammar is quite different from Earth grammar.

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Hell no!

Spiders are not bugs.

[Underverse]

I haven't yet seen convincing information that the global food supply is overburdened. Yes, there are people starving to death in parts of the world. But it's certainly not for lack of global food stockpiles - it's for lack of access, which goes hand in hand with bad economics. Instead of pushing weird (bugs) and unhealthy (vegan) diets, why not drive development in impoverished areas?

Second, simply giving food to impoverished areas will probably just result in the population growing to match the new carrying capacity. You'd need to pair relief efforts with education and birth control in order to improve standard of living.

Climate change is a related issue, but certainly distinct. Future changes to climate will probably impact farming, but not necessarily in ways that make vegan or insect diets optimal. There's a lot of non-arable land that can be used as pasture for animals, for example. Mild droughts may make water-thirsty crop farming and cattle factories unsustainable, but may also expand grazing livestock.

[Powerogue]

I mean we pay through the nose for things that look like this.



I'm not writing it off, but I probably wouldn't be the first to volunteer trying it.

[MechaCThun]

I've tried deep fried crickets dipped in hot chocolate.


Does that count?


Tbh it just tasted like overly crispy fried chicken dipped in chocolate.

[shadowmouse]

Silkworm chrysalises are fairly popular at grill places here. I don't mind them and eat them when they get ordered by a date, but I have yet to get a mad craving for them.

One of the places I like to go for grilled leg of lamb also has fried grasshoppers (very small) and fried scorpions. The grasshoppers and scorpions are something crunchy that goes well with a cold beer on a hot day. Those are something that I sometimes get a mood for, if I happen to be drinking beer at that restaurant. If I'm not, I don't find myself deciding to go out for cold beer and fried scorpions.

So, mixed reviews. I don't mind insects as a dish, but they're mainly an afterthought. I haven't encountered them in a form that makes them a first choice for me.

[Thekri]

No. Why are there so many people pushing for insects as a food source? I agree with everyone else I’d go vegan before I’d eat insects.

Because insects are incredibly good at converting inedible material into edible material faster then pretty much anything else (Some fungi and algae's rival them in that regard). It isn't necessary in America and other developed countries right now, but starvation is a very real thing across the world, and the ability to rapidly convert organic waste products like paper into food can be huge.

Even in first world countries it can be a good filler for a lot of foods, it doesn't really matter where the protein in most processed food comes from, and insect based products are much better for you then the sort of chemicals they use now. It is just a weird taboo that people freak out about eating somethin containing a reprocessed bug, but don't blink an eye at eating something with an ingredient list like this:

Carbonated Water, Sucrose, Glucose, Citric Acid, Taurine, Sodium Bicarbonate, Magnesium Carbonate, Caffeine, Niacinamide, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine HCI, Vitamin B12, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Colors

Almost all of those things are things you should really question putting in your body, but Americans consume millions of this product per year (Guess the product!). While there is actually nothing unhealthy for you in most bugs, and in fact it was a staple of the diet of early humans.

[breadisfunny]

i would be willing to try this.

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No. Why are there so many people pushing for insects as a food source? I agree with everyone else I’d go vegan before I’d eat insects.

i would rather eat insects before i go vegan. unless it's a fly.

[Maneo]

I wouldn't eat bugs as a primary source but the idea doesn't bother me if there became a lack of options.

I have had a multitude of different foods derived from bugs, none of it tasted bad. The texture was way off but the flavor wasn't bad.

Hell when I was bored at work and decided to build my bunker (in theory), the primary protein source would have been tilapia (fish), eggs and crickets. The things you will do to occupy your time when you work overnights and there is nothing to do.

[Socialhealer]

Even in first world countries it can be a good filler for a lot of foods, it doesn't really matter where the protein in most processed food comes from, and insect based products are much better for you then the sort of chemicals they use now. It is just a weird taboo that people freak out about eating somethin containing a reprocessed bug, but don't blink an eye at eating something with an ingredient list like this:

Almost all of those things are things you should really question putting in your body, but Americans consume millions of this product per year (Guess the product!). While there is actually nothing unhealthy for you in most bugs, and in fact it was a staple of the diet of early humans.

Funny because it's true, people won't bat an eye at some 300lb person ordering another 2 McDonalds for dinner or chugging 6 energy drinks to get through the day because their body is crumbling under the bad diet and only 21st century doctors and medicine will get keep them alive.

but someone eats insects OMG disgusting how can they do it, really who is more disgusting?

Just wait until some billion dollar company finds a way to market it into some health craze or finds a way to make insects highly profitable you'll all be drinking your McBugshake or having a nice red bug energy drink.

[shadowmouse]

Just wait until some billion dollar company finds a way to market it into some health craze or finds a way to make insects highly profitable you'll all be drinking your McBugshake or having a nice red bug energy drink.

You're a bit late on this one, it has been done for ages.

Beetle parts are used to color foods red, pink and purple. Known as cochineal, this food additive is made by drying and crushing the insects into a powder. The insects eat red cactus berries, and when they are crushed, they give off red residue. It takes about 70,000 cochineal insects to make 1 pound (0.45 kg) of red dye. Common foods that include cochineal include yogurt, fruit juice, ice cream and candy. It is also used in non-food items such as lipstick, paint and ink. Before 2009, the additive was typically referred to as natural red 4 on ingredients lists. It was found to cause allergic reactions in some people, however, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began requiring it to be listed as either cochineal or carmine extract.

Source: https://www.wisegeek.com/are-beetle-...color-food.htm See also: https://www.livescience.com/36292-re...l-carmine.html

[RCA]

I mean if we all did it more, maybe many of those insects that invade the home, would think twice. haha

[Shadowferal]

Sounds like there may be a solution to those pesky cockroaches...
Bon appetit!

[Socialhealer]

You're a bit late on this one, it has been done for ages.


Source: https://www.wisegeek.com/are-beetle-...color-food.htm See also: https://www.livescience.com/36292-re...l-carmine.html

oh god don't tell these people that, look they're all going to turn vegan to avoid some insects!

I'd rather they just be ignorant about eating insects instead of vegans!

[shadowmouse]

I'd rather they just be ignorant about eating insects instead of vegans!

I agree, but think of the fuel I've just thrown on the "I'm a better person because I'm more strictly vegetarian than you are" flames! Close call, it may have been worth it.

[Temp name]

I'd be open to taste it, sure. Would I swap to it full-time? Dunno, probably not.

[Dsonsion]

Back in my hometown I used to catch beetles, wash them and toast them. They were quite good, actually.