Eating Insects in the Future

Ahanu

Ahanu

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This was an entertaining video. It's sorta presented as if we were watching a National Geographic documentary. Haha! Maybe people from different cultures in the past ate insects regularly, and maybe a select few still do today. I feel most people do not eat them today because of two reasons: we have an abundance of food, and they are aesthetically displeasing.

The chef mentioned that the UN's goal is to have a sustainable way of life later on in this century. One way to attain this goal is to consume insects for protein instead of relying on so much meat.

Would you eat insects? Do you believe eating insects will be a regular part of the human diet in the future?

Personally I do not mind certain insects, such as ants, but I get squeamish with worms and other squishy looking things. :oops:
 
Mostly when they talk of eating insects they are speaking of crickets or locusts as dried and turned into protein powder in dishes and drinks or pastes. Although there are plenty of folks buying dried bags and sprinkling them on salads or tossing in smoothies now. And you can find quite the variety in street food around the world.
 
wil said:
Mostly when they talk of eating insects they are speaking of crickets or locusts as dried and turned into protein powder in dishes and drinks or pastes. Although there are plenty of folks buying dried bags and sprinkling them on salads or tossing in smoothies now. And you can find quite the variety in street food around the world.
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I do not know anyone that buys them. Also, in countries like China most people in urban centers would shy away from eating insects. It's probably different in rural areas.
wil said:
Mostly when they talk of eating insects they are speaking of crickets or locusts as dried and turned into protein powder in dishes and drinks or pastes. Although there are plenty of folks buying dried bags and sprinkling them on salads or tossing in smoothies now. And you can find quite the variety in street food around the world.
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While insect powder is mentioned in this video, it also shows worms and wasps. I really would like to try the ants shown in the video since they mentioned these insects have a citrus-like flavor.
 
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I have had a cicada or two over the years, some chelate covered crunchy things I cant recall what, and I think the US has a minimum bug requirement for jam...

But no, I am not one who has bags of bugs on their shelves to add to smoothies...that is some young body builder friends
 
Ahanu said:
Do you believe eating insects will be a regular part of the human diet in the future?
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Hard to say. Lab meat seems to be a coming thing, but maybe the ongoing destruction of the biosphere and the climate crisis may cause the human world to crash into a bigger disaster, one that insects cannot save us from.
 
There are more bugs in your prepared and processed foods already than you really want to know about.

Best if you don't think about it.

But if you really want to know it shouldn't take much to look up the USDA standards.

And we won't even talk about rat hairs in chocolate bars...
 
juantoo3 said:
There are more bugs in your prepared and processed foods already than you really want to know about.

Best if you don't think about it.

But if you really want to know it shouldn't take much to look up the USDA standards.

And we won't even talk about rat hairs in chocolate bars...
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It is estimated we eat around 500 grams of insects per year accidentally through peanut butter and other processed foods. This is accidentally, not intentionally. Since we humans know this is the case, why do we not see containers of crickets, ants, and more to buy in our local grocery stores in the US?
 
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There is a popular insect market in Laos. I couldn't imagine something like this taking off in the US.

 
@RabbiO, to be more specific, what do you think the cultural reason might be for the US lacking a bug market like we see in certain areas of Laos and other parts of the world that have no problem eating insects? I am confused by your comment that insects "might be contaminated with peanut butter or other processed foods." Do you mind explaining? Thanks. I am interested in reading your thoughts about this topic. :)
 
I'm not RabbiO, and I don't play him on TV.

Qualifiers out of the way, the only bugs that are kosher are Locusts "and their kind," so (by my understanding) Cicadas and Grasshoppers are edible and kosher. John Baptist is recorded as eating Locusts and wild honey...and he was the son of a Temple Priest, so one would think he knew better than most what was kosher and what was not.
 
Ahanu said:
What influenced your decision to follow your current eating habits?
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About 40 years ago I worked in a book shop. Food was just food, meat was just meat...the food on my plate. Most days the shop wasn't very busy, when the customer orders came in I had time to have a look at them if I wished. One customer had ordered Why You Don't Need Meat by Peter Cox. Huh?! Meat is just food, what a weird idea (this was 40 years ago!). Naughtily I took it home that night and read the whole book (it's not very thick). This was my epiphany.

The next day I told my mother (whom I lived with) I was never eating meat again. She probably thought I'd be dead in a week or else got over my crazy notion. "But I've got your favourite - liver and onions!" she said. I said OK to that because I thought, I can eat just that one last meat meal before giving it up, to soften the blow a little. When it came to the meal I learnt just how much our tastes are psychological in nature. I ate my "favourite" meal and felt sick as I ate it, nearly gagging at one point.

My more recent shift towards veganism is down to my (very late) learning what standard practices are in the dairy and egg industry; prompted by neighbours who follow a vegan diet.
 
juantoo3 said:
I'm not RabbiO, and I don't play him on TV.

Qualifiers out of the way, the only bugs that are kosher are Locusts "and their kind," so (by my understanding) Cicadas and Grasshoppers are edible and kosher.
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Actually, cicadas are not kosher. As for locusts, some are kosher, some are not, and then, to complicate matters, for some Jews and not for others.
 
Ahanu said:
It is estimated we eat around 500 grams of insects per year accidentally through peanut butter and other processed foods. This is accidentally, not intentionally. Since we humans know this is the case, why do we not see containers of crickets, ants, and more to buy in our local grocery stores in the US?
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Last line...my friends do...and buy them

First line...that is.called supplementation.
 
Ahanu said:
@RabbiO, to be more specific, what do you think the cultural reason might be for the US lacking a bug market like we see in certain areas of Laos and other parts of the world that have no problem eating insects? I am confused by your comment that insects "might be contaminated with peanut butter or other processed foods." Do you mind explaining? Thanks. I am interested in reading your thoughts about this topic. :)
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Let’s tackle the easy inquiry first - My remark, inverting the remark you made, was made tongue in cheek.
 
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