Would you eat insects?

vienna_h
vienna_h Posts: 428 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Would you or have you eaten insects?

Would you eat them if they were recognizable (ei: a fried cricket)?

Would you eat them if they were not recognizable (ei: grounded into a powder and used in a recipe)?

would you ever eat them regularily, or "just to try"?

Did you know that insects were a good source of protein? Would knowing the health benefits and low environmental impact of insect farming change your mind about eating insects?

ETA: I am strictly talking about cooked, edible species.
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Replies

  • disasterman
    disasterman Posts: 746 Member
    The difference between what I'll eat and what I won't eat is 24 hours.
  • ajaxe432
    ajaxe432 Posts: 608 Member
    I have eaten chocolate covered ants and crickets! Suprisingly pretty good:)
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,148 Member
    I've never gone out of my way to eat insects. I have eaten them unintentionally, such as on a bike or sleeping..
  • jazzygurl81
    jazzygurl81 Posts: 62 Member
    No, even with the nutritional benefits, I just can't do it. Mentally I can't wrap my mind around it. I don't even eat crawfish because it looks a little too much like a huge bug to me.
  • shinkalork
    shinkalork Posts: 815 Member
    This is one of the thing I couldn't and can't do..... Even if you pay me.... It's too gross in my mind.
  • sharonfoustmills
    sharonfoustmills Posts: 519 Member
    No, I have to draw the line somewhere, and insects is where I draw it. I would only eat them if I were out somewhere lost or something and could get no other nutrition.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Would you or have you eaten insects?
    I'm sure I have, but not knowingly.
    Would you eat them if they were recognizable (ei: a fried cricket)?
    Not willingly, unless I was truly starving. Then I'm sure I would
    Would you eat them if they were not recognizable (ei: grounded into a powder and used in a recipe)?
    Yes, I'd give them a try.
    would you ever eat them regularily, or "just to try"?
    It depends on what they tasted like. If I liked them, sure. Shrimp aren't far from insects and I love them.
    Did you know that insects were a good source of protein? Would knowing the health benefits and low environmental impact of insect farming change your mind about eating insects?
    Yes, I did know this. I was reading an article just the other day about the UN promoting edible insects as a solution to world hunger. But, as I am not hungry or lacking in food, I'm don't think it would change my mind about me personally eating them.
  • healthygreek
    healthygreek Posts: 2,137 Member
    Our whole family ate fried crickets in Puerto Vallarta last year on vacation and enjoyed them very much. I would definitely eat them again. I've also eaten snails many times and love them but I'm not sure if they're insects.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    I'm sure I have eaten a few unintentionally. Would I try them? Sure. Would I eat them regularly? I guess it depends what they tasted like when I tried them. The idea of eating insects doesn't really gross me out.
  • Camera_BagintheUK
    Camera_BagintheUK Posts: 707 Member
    I'm going to wait till the cloned beefburger comes down in price :sick:
  • bmancanfly
    bmancanfly Posts: 6 Member
    IIFYM
  • marvybells
    marvybells Posts: 1,984 Member
    hmmm, it depends. i'd much prefer that they were ground up so there are no heads, legs, antennas etc for me to see. it makes me feel queasy to think about crunching through them & having them stuck in my teeth. and i hate bugs near my face, so that would be a problem for me.

    As for the ground up fellas, that is a maybe. I read a small article on it once a few months back, but I know very little about the process of making bug paste/powders. I suppose i'd have to learn more about it to get more comfortable with the idea. The only thing that really bothers me about it (aside from the automatic gag reflex at the thought of eating bugs) is the idea of eating known disease carriers, like cockroaches. So at this point, i would probably want to avoid them & maybe try crickets, beetles, or ants.
  • Yolanda_85
    Yolanda_85 Posts: 143 Member
    I took an Entomology class in college, and as a 'fun day' for us, our professor brought in chocolate covered grasshoppers (yummier than they sound!!!) and some sort of beetle larvae that he fried up in scrambled eggs. It took a lot for me to try the eggs because maggots freak me out, but I did eat some. I would happily eat chocolate covered grasshoppers again or try chocolate covered ants. Food-wise, I'm willing to try most anything once.

    So, to answer your questions:

    1 and 2. Yes, I have eaten insects, both recognizable and not so recognizable.

    3. Not sure I'd eat them regularly...but I'd be willing to taste test different insects cooked or coated in various ways.

    4. Yup, thanks to my class. I'd be ok with insect farming, why not? More yummy grasshoppers to dip in chocolate!
  • vienna_h
    vienna_h Posts: 428 Member
    Thanks for the answers so far!

    Just to be clear, we are talking about cooked (not live) insects, and only the edible species.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    people go on and on about protein this and protein that, but I've yet to see someone advocate insect eating.

    Personally I dont think I could do it. Textural issues biting into the chitin and all, but more power to those who can.
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
    Going by my reaction to old reality TV shows like Fear Factor or Survivor i'mma have to say no.
  • water_coloured
    water_coloured Posts: 81 Member
    Never. I would honestly throw up if I knowingly ate an insect.
  • vienna_h
    vienna_h Posts: 428 Member
    people go on and on about protein this and protein that, but I've yet to see someone advocate insect eating.

    The United Nations, among many others.
  • vienna_h
    vienna_h Posts: 428 Member
    Going by my reaction to old reality TV shows like Fear Factor or Survivor i'mma have to say no.

    Again,we're not talking about live insects, were talking about cooked insects, either on their own or in a recipe.
  • knightreader
    knightreader Posts: 813 Member
    i've eaten sour cream and onion flavored crickets. 5 of them to be exact. i ate them for one of my classes, then all the other classes found out and i had to eat one for each class.

    also chocolate covered ants in a cookie. no big deal there tho.
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
    Going by my reaction to old reality TV shows like Fear Factor or Survivor i'mma have to say no.

    Again,we're not talking about live insects, were talking about cooked insects, either on their own or in a recipe.
    LOL No, it wouldn't matter. Bugs freak me out -- I'm almost 40 years old and I still call my husband to come kill bugs for me. It doesn't matter how delicious, well prepared or nutritious they are; I'm not eating them. Not when there's plenty of food around that doesn't make me want to throw up available.
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    If someone prepares and serves insect as a meal, I will eat the insect. This is true for anything actually edible. I'm polite like that.

    If I'm very hungry and there are no options, insects are fine.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    people go on and on about protein this and protein that, but I've yet to see someone advocate insect eating.

    The United Nations, among many others.

    I meant on MFP, besides this post. I think the WHO advocates it too. I'm all for it, and I'd love to see the fat scared high protein preachers eat a bug.
  • TangledUp_InBlue
    TangledUp_InBlue Posts: 397 Member
    I do not like bugs.
    I do not like them in any style.
    I will not eat them fried or boiled.
    I will not eat them poached or broiled.
    I will not eat them soft or scrambled…
    Despite your argument well-rambled.
  • Fit_NYC_
    Fit_NYC_ Posts: 1,389 Member
    Only if I was Naked and Afraid!
  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
    Honestly, I have never really thought hard about it, but I am sure I have swallowed some on the bike. As far as going into a restaurant and ordering? Probably not if they have steak, seafood or chicken.
  • retirehappy
    retirehappy Posts: 4,756 Member
    Been there done that. It is common in many cultures to do so. I always try the local foods so have had crickets, grubbs, ants, and some I was not sure of, LOL. Ants are used in Northern Australia to make a citrus "tea" and is delicious.

    Less carbon print than cows, so why not?
  • gonnamakeanewaccount
    gonnamakeanewaccount Posts: 642 Member
    Nope.
  • vienna_h
    vienna_h Posts: 428 Member
    bump
  • corgicake
    corgicake Posts: 846 Member
    I used to want to be a cultural anthropologist and accepted the fact that if I went into that field grasshoppers might be one of many things I ended up having to eat in the name of not offending someone. There is nothing wrong with a food just because it hasn't shown up on a fast food menu yet.

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