Do You Eat Insects?

That's a pretty interesting question. I live in the province and eating insects isn't really unusual to us. We mainly cook adobo or deep fry them in batter with a dip combo made of venegar, garlic, salt, and chili. I prefer Camaro (mole crickets) and Locust more than any other insects. Unfortunately though, it's hard to find locust since most farms nowadays grow hybrid crops which are very resistant to pests. Now, my question is, have you tasted insects before?

 

Yes when I was a kid, my peers and I used to go to the sugarcane plantation to gather ground beetle. My mother cooked it and it is very delicious and yummy. It is as what you have said rich in protein. I also eat grasshoppers. Once they are fried in a cooking oil with spices, you bet they are luscious and appetizing. They do are protein-rich cooked insects.

 

I have never eaten insects but if that were my only choice, I would. I'm not completely against consuming insects but they need to be cooked well. In a show called ''Bizarre Foods'', they ate some seasoned spiders and all the kids loved them. I wouldn't mind trying a spider or two. I know they aren't insects but it's close, right?

 

I do not think all types of insects are edible, the once I have actually seen consumed are termites and crickets. I have heard that in some part of the world cockroaches can be eaten, I haven't heard or seen that happen in my location. Yes, I quite agree that insects are rich in protein but I'd think not all insects look edible.

 

Eating bugs is a good thing. They have many nutrients, they are easy to find and they are really good at reproducing (except the case of cicadas which takes a long time to hatch). However since you ask of its disadvantage I shall list them for you:

-They look gross and/or taste weird. Many insects looks really disgusting (things that wiggle came to mind) and sometimes they live in what is considered unsanitary place (underground, muddy waters or caves). This can really affect a person's meal and might cause them to feel sick. There is also the factor of taste. Some are said to be tasted like chicken or pork and some are a new experience either in texture or taste. This can also affect someone's view of them.

-They are not very sastisfying. Bugs are full of nutrients but most of the time they are small. This means for a full belly you need quite a few bugs, probably a couple hundreds grams.

 

I remember when I was a kid my mom and I went to a flea market where fried grasshoppers were being sold. My mom bought a bit of them and she got me to try one to be honest I remember not likeing it. I would eat them again if I had no other option of food especially since they are healthy.

 

I am a vegetarian so I should answer in a NO, but looking at t it in a scientific way I am not sure. If I ate it unknowingly through my food I am not sure. As far people eating insects I have seen a person eating a live Caterpillar in a running train. The guy was from Nagaland and he ate a big caterpillar like people eat carrots.

 

Ugh! Not a very nice thought to have dished up a plateful of bugs in front of me. But funnily enough, I did used to eat ants when I was a toddler.

I remember sitting on the ground in our back garden when I was very young and sorting through the dirt to find the ants and was happily popping them into my mouth. I soon stopped though when my dear Mother grabbed me by the scruff of my neck clothes and threw me into the house. Whoa! I stopped eating bugs out of the garden then. Strangely I never suffered from any of the childhood diseases that my school mates had. I think that was because of the ants I used to eat!

 

Amazing story. I don't eat insects and would not eat insects ever. I studied biology and know where some insects live and know about insects habits, so no thank you to eating insects ever please. I'd rather eat vegetables and fruits. Sorry, but I wouldn't eat any insects even if they are reputed to be very healthy. I just studied some insects not an entomologist, but I do know where insects live, so no thank you. Guess many insects are grown commercially and must meet FDA standards in other countries, so I guess it's okay, but personally for me no thanks to insects, please.

 

You reminded my stay in Nagaland, people use ants as tasty pickles. When I was there about ten years or so before I saw villagers of Nagaland would dig up the ants' from ground wash them in water and then crush them manually mixing salt an pepper. They called this particular recipe as "Tenga" whatever that means but I always looked away watching that scene. The people in that area eat so many other things which we cant't even imagine.

 

I eat not just to satisfy my hunger but also to satisfy my palate. The taste is important to me and I am particular with the ingredients. Although I eat gamey food like deer meat and I also eat some strange food like frog legs, but I had never tried insects. When we were in Bangkok early this year, I dared the kids with us to eat the fried insects sold in the street. We bought some to sample. I even took a video of how my nephew and nieces ate those scorpions and bugs. I was planning on eating too but when I saw their faces, I banished the thought of sampling the insects.

 

I don't believe in destroying any living creature that I cam not replenish and so vegetarian I am.

Not that I loathe non veg eats bit crawly creature isn't just my cuppa tea.

I don't mind seeing people eat chicken, fish or eggs but anything odd stuff would make me throw out my guts.

 

Actually people living in eastern countries especially far east eat all kind of insects. I have personally seen many people eating strange things in strange ways. I have seen them eat snake, rat and what not which people in our areas would never even believe if you tell them about your experiences.
But that's how the things stand. What you feel is good others feel not worth eating. I feel astounded when people look at me completely disbelieving that I do not eat non-vegetarian food. They ask me what do you eat then?