LIFE’S RICH BOUNTY

Sunday, April 19. 2009

It’s late spring, which to me means one thing. Final exams in three weeks.
Also, the insects are coming out, and Fenton’s parents have been feasting on the new population. This is when our Northern hemisphere becomes a big smorgasbord for us insectivores. In particular, we have a large crop of tent caterpillars this season. Yum.
So far the Fuscus family has been focused on eating instead of harassing me to set a wedding date. We’ll see how long that fortunate state of affairs lasts.
Meanwhile, Rudy and Fiona delivered last week’s Easter eggs with only one incident. A certain bird of prey mistook Rudy for a prey species, with the outcome being that Coney discovered a Very Special Egg just for her.
Finally, here’s the YouTube video of the week. (No, it’s not the woman from Scotland singing on that TV show.) The human version of this video probably isn’t as entertaining as the one on our side of the portal, since we had dozens of species participating.
This week’s question: I know humans are omnivores who eat pretty much anything, but that only few of you eat insects. What insects do you eat?

Posted by Lindesfarne at 13:26 | Comments (27) | Trackbacks (0)

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Here in the US, there's not much intentional insect consumption by humans. We have more than enough food so that it's not really a requirement. In other, less fortunate areas, you eat what you can get and, sadly, that often means nothing at all... not even insects. (I said intentional insect consumption because there's no way to keep 100% of them out of our food supply. The amount is small and the insects are usually almost indistinguishable by the naked eye... but they're there.)

Supposedly, grasshoppers are a delicacy in some sections of the world. I believe that they're coated with honey, but don't quote me on that.

True story: when I was in High School many years ago, we had one student who was a candy thief. If you weren't careful, he'd steal any candy-type item that he could see. One day, just before class began, he picked up a wrapped, thick piece of chocolate from one student's desk and scarfed it down. It had been a trap. The ripped-off student informed him that it had been a chocolate-covered worm. The class started then and, for the next forty-five minutes, the thief resembled a chameleon changing skin colors constantly...

#1 CharlieG on 2009-04-19 14:05 (Reply)

Chocolate covered worm... MMMmmmm....

#2 Lindesfarne Dewclaw on 2009-04-19 14:13 (Reply)

Every August our town park put on a "bug day". One of the features is eating fried mealy worms.
There are also chocalate covered honey bees available, but I am so scared of the live ones I would probably never eat them.

#3 Tom Mazanec (Link) on 2009-04-19 14:18 (Reply)

What side of the portal are you on, Tom? Doesn't sound like something humans would do ...

As to the video, nice Lindy, I've never seen or heard of it before (but I'm a bit of a fogey, YouTube viral videos inevitably passed me, though I have heard of the Singing Scottish Sheep ... ) Very nice, I'm a bit of a sucker for that play and song (and for those on this side of the portal, since I agree with Lindy, the human side version is probably just filled with humans), isn't the dancing mouse cute? (Delicious-looking, but cute)

#3.1 Ken D. Lion on 2009-04-19 18:26 (Reply)

Believe me, as a human, I can definitely see that. Some of us do tend to celebrate the different, so its quite possible that he could be human.

Besides which, since most of the trends on your side seem to have equivalents here, and there's only one sentient species here... well, let's just say we're a pretty diverse lot.

#3.1.1 Koronak on 2009-04-19 23:38 (Reply)

Well, in theory, we can eat a lot of types; a quick search said crickets, mealworms, cicadas, some ants, and even some centipedes and scorpions (ok, not technically insects, and I'm pretty sure we'd have to yank the poison first) are on the menu. And its always said that some bugs are in our flour. And of course, it does vary around the world.

Personally, though, the closest I've come is crustaceans (shrimp and crabs) and bee honey, both of which are very commonly eaten. Lobster is pretty common too, but again, we seem to make an exception for crustaceans. Snails are also pretty commonly eaten in some parts of the world, and is a delicacy in France.

Interesting tidbit: we can't digest grass, most leaves, or bark very well, either. Something about not being able to digest cellulose.

So, which bugs are your favorites, Lindesfarne?

#4 Koronak on 2009-04-19 14:19 (Reply)

Insects aren't commonly eaten in North American society, the idea most find a bit gross. Though one might find chocolate-covered ants imported from Europe in a few places (ants seem to have less of a "yuck factor" than other insects over here as people aren't as eager to wash their hands after handling one).

Crustaceans, however, are commonly eaten, such as crabs, shrimp, and lobster. Lobster has something of a reputation of a minor luxury food one would find in fancier restaraunts.

Listening to a talk radio program in which a nutritionist was interviewed, he claimed insects and crustaceans have a slightly negative impact on the human immune system. But I have not heard this anywhere else.

#5 Bixyl Shuftan (Link) on 2009-04-19 15:01 (Reply)

I'm not a very pretentious eater, so I'm partial to the basics: beetles, ants and a few flying types of insects. I guess the common June bug is my favorite. Some favor quite exotic species, but that's not me. (...Or Fenton!)

#6 Lindesfarne Dewclaw on 2009-04-19 15:02 (Reply)

Plain or fancy, it matters not, as long as it's nourishing.

I hope Fenton's keeping himself healthy; you may have heard about the problems bats are having on this side of the portal. Just make sure he keeps his nose clean!

Incidentally, while lobster is something of a luxury food, it wasn't always so. In my part of the world, there used to be regulations (two or three hundred years ago) about how often masters could feed their apprentices lobster..... it was considered a "poverty food".

-LA/wts

#6.1 LA/wts on 2009-04-19 22:15 (Reply)

It depends on the lobster, I suspect, and on the cooking. The one-to-two pound North Atlantic lobsters are infinitely more palatable than either the rock-lobster variety from the Caribbean or the six-foot-long North Atlantic type of days gone by (before heavy lobstering). Rock lobster is sometimes cooked for hours, rather than the short times customary for North Atlantic lobster.

#6.1.1 =Tamar on 2009-05-10 13:55 (Reply)

Actually, the majority of humans do eat insects. They're not called insectivores, though; they're called entomophages. I guess that's because they're a variety of omnivore.

Now I'm wondering if there is a difference worth noticing (other than a cultural one, among the predators) between those six- or eight-legged invertebrates with exoskeletons that live underwater and those that don't.

#7 Suzii on 2009-04-20 05:28 (Reply)

Man, I wish I could see the version on your side of the portal. Seeing multiple species working together to promote a sort of musical harmony in reality must be really amazing, especially with all the interspecies conflict there is over there. Not to knock the human version though. I really think life would be ten times more bearable if it was a musical where everyone automatically knew the words and dance steps to how you were feeling. Then again, I am a sucker for musicals in general, and especially so being involved in musical theater.

As for the bugs, people will eat ANYTHING if they get desperate, but for recreation, scorpions and spiders are big ones, along with ants and mealworms and pretty much anything that isn't too bitter or poisonous. Beetles are not really all that common (I suppose it is due to the crunchy shells, kinda hard to swallow), but I heard some food dyes are made from beetle shells. The funny thing is that they do make lollipops with bugs in them, they are actually quite common. I'm really interested in trying them myself!

Now, I sorta have a question that I'm not sure how to ask... I know there is taboos in terms of relationships between species with different diets, but is there taboos for things like same sex couples? In our world, it is the center of a lot of huge debates and movements, but in a world divided as much as yours, do people seem to notice or care? It really has me curious, especially since the "different diet" controversies seem to mirror a lot of human conflicts, including the "same sex" issue.

#8 Brett R. on 2009-04-20 06:53 (Reply)

One of these days, I'll order grasshopper tacos from a local restaurant with unusual dishes.

#9 Classic Steve (Link) on 2009-04-20 10:14 (Reply)

To Brett R.: No one here has a problem with same sex couples. (My roommate Rachel favors females, and has a longtime relationship with an equine named Joan Hoof.) No, on our side of the portal it's one's diet that defines and separates and causes much consternation.

#10 Lindesfarne Dewclaw on 2009-04-20 10:32 (Reply)

"I had no idea you lived such a sheltered life, Lindes. Depending on species religion, there are some who would fight or defend notions of same sex to the death. It all depends on where on the planet you are...and whom you are. Your zonage must have phased the concept to background noise in pursuit of other, far more important matters. Lucky for you."

} {
Oo
||
^

^Deer smiley doing a frown, in case the lack of the TT code makes it look very odd. Long live ASCII art!^

#10.1 jup-reindeer on 2009-04-22 06:11 (Reply)

To Lindesfarne: Ah-ha! Good to know. I guess it is another case of humans making something out of nothing. I mean, at least with diet relationships, it could boil down to a life or death situation. With same sex couples, it's a matter of... two consenting adults hanging out a lot. Gasp. rolls eyes

#11 Brett R. on 2009-04-20 13:14 (Reply)

In the North American areas, insect consumption is limited more to the exotic taste stores, markets, and vendors. Also, from what two of my uncles told me from theirs days in the marines, and special forces, they were trained in knowing waht things were edible, and what weren't. This included arthropods of all sorts, along with fungus, lichen, vegetation, and such.

Over in the European and Central Asian countries on the other hand, arthropods of all sorts are enjoyed, from chocolate ants and mealworm lollipops, to fried crickets, larvae, and just about any insect that can survive a quick grilling or deep fat frier. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entomophagy#Non-human_consumption_of_insects
is a link to a site on entomophagy

Oh....And one other thing i forgot to mention until now. On average, we humans consume, if the number is right around some 30 odd pounds of spiders and insects in our sleep. We start snoring, and while the bugs go crawlign around on us, we'll suck them in accidentally, and go*crunch crunch swallow*

#12 Stephen Flint on 2009-04-20 17:02 (Reply)

Funny you should wonder about that.I was just recently reading a book by A.J. Jacobs,were he spent one year trying to conform to the rules of the Jewish and Christen bible.In the adventure,he runs into the Leviticus food law,

"And of these you may eat,the locust according to it's kind,the cricket according to it's kind,the grasshopper according to it's kind."

There are diverse groups of people in our world that follow rules in the bible.How about yours?

#13 Laura on 2009-04-20 19:18 (Reply)

Ok, now you mention it, I've always wondered what that "according to its kind" means. Any clues?

#13.1 Suzii on 2009-04-21 03:49 (Reply)

That basically means,"according to species",I believe.

#13.1.1 Laura on 2009-04-23 12:35 (Reply)

My favoured 'insects' are Snails. My family thought I was quite brave at the first time I tried it, but it tastes 'like' spicy squid.

#14 Luna on 2009-04-21 06:39 (Reply)

Well, seeing as we can eat nearly anything, we have the luxury of leaving certain foods off the menu. A good number of us are insectiphobes (myself included), so we just don't eat bugs when we don't have to. Even if it was a matter of survival, I'd still have to be pretty hungry to eat insects!

It's worth noting, however, that certain insects are used in food dyes and shellac, which is used to create candy shells. Infact, we use a lot of "undesirable" animal bits for various edible products. Still, those same items don't look, smell, or taste as the original bug, so it ceases to be a problem.

#15 C. M. on 2009-04-21 21:42 (Reply)

ant's covered in chocolate are okay, as for the locust ,roast tarantulas and cicadas. well let me just say menu is varied. anywhere you go you'll find humans that eat foods that only certain species in domain eats. including the leavings of others ( mostly boliviens from what I've seen) and places buried and left in the ground o ferment form six months before digging them up to eat them. i personally don't care for the spider dished but the ants were passable.
my suggestion is that when traveling and sampling the local dishes make sure that someone with you has your medical information. especially when traveling through portals.

#16 e_voyager on 2009-04-22 00:04 (Reply)

I once ate a cricket stuffed grasshopper, but spent a lot of time wondering why on earth someone would bother stuffing a grasshopper with cricket. Still...

My father once ate fried spiders. He said the first two bites were all right, but the subsequent ones were... disgusting.

Still, I suppose insects aren't quite for me!

#17 Selphie Trabia on 2009-04-22 18:10 (Reply)

How cool is that video? OMG! I would love to see something like that happen in real life!!! As for the insects, sorry, not me!

#18 Deannda on 2009-04-23 01:36 (Reply)

Unbeknown to the many North Americans who've responded, there is one that's a regular part of our diet. We eat the cochineal. Also known as carmine, we consume dactylopius coccus as red food coloring. A crude estimate puts American consumption at just 0.458 grams per person. However, since it takes about 1,000 insects to make one kilogram of dye, that comes to about 458 insects per person per year.

#19 Harry on 2009-04-25 00:34 (Reply)

Shall I put in a plug for the children's book, "How to Eat Fried Worms"?

#20 Robin on 2009-04-26 00:18 (Reply)

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