Waiter, There’s a Soup Around my Fly

Two billion people can’t be wrong, right? I mean if they are finding deliciousness and taste-tempting moments with a particular food choice, we should all give it whirl. Particularly if 4.4 pounds of the feed produces a solid 2.2 pounds of useable protein in this culinary category, while a great big moo-cow requires 17.6 pounds of feed to produce that same 2.2 pounds of edible meat.

We call ‘em insects, and they can be velvety good or crunchy yummy. Please share your favorite recipe with your friends. These critters also have a low environmental “footprint;” they are exceptionally efficient sources of nutrition. “Most insects are likely to produce fewer environmentally harmful greenhouse gases, and also feed on human and food waste, compost and animal slurry, with the products being used for agricultural feed, the agency said. [Oh my, how attractive and drool-inducing?]

“Currently, most edible insects are gathered in forests and what insect farming does take place is often family-run and serves niche markets. But the U.N. says mechanization can ratchet up insect farming production. The fish bait industry, for example, has long farmed insects…Insect farming is ‘one of the many ways to address food and feed security,’ the food agency said.” Huffington Post, May 13^th. A profoundly underutilized resource at that.

And there are just so many benefits to adding these buggy dudes to your diet. “‘Insects are everywhere and they reproduce quickly,’ the agency said… They provide high-quality protein and nutrients when compared with meat and fish and are ‘particularly important as a food supplement for undernourished children,’ it said… Insects can also be rich in copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium and zinc, and are a source of fiber…

“University biologists have analyzed the nutritional value of edible insects, and some of them, such as certain beetles, ants, crickets and grasshoppers, come close to lean red meat or broiled fish in terms of protein per gram (ounce).

“But are they tasty?... [A U.N.] report noted that some caterpillars in southern Africa and weaver ant eggs in Southeast Asia are considered delicacies and command high prices… And some people who might not entertain the thought of consuming insects might already be eating them. Many insects are ingested inadvertently.” Huffington Post. Inadvertent… yeah, I can remember that squirming nasty in my sandwich one high school lunch so long ago. Roach thermidor under glass with a flea fricassee, anyone? Cricket jubilee with ant crunchies, per chance?

For a world with massive poverty, in dire need for protein to feed humans and livestock alike, why not? OK, it does seem a tad yucky, but if you were raised to love little buggies, the way they do in northeastern Thailand, those little caterpillars and grasshopper would seem as natural as popcorn… and you probably have eaten more than a few little buggies in that seemingly extra-clean Western diet of yours… one way… or the other. Fry ‘em, bake ‘em, cook ‘em in a pot! Good eatin’!

I’m Peter Dekom, and perhaps this is just one blog that is bit more difficult to swallow.