Eating Bugs

I think I am not alone in saying that I hate bugs. Many people do. They ruin picnics, not to mention many other events that take place outdoors like weddings, kiddie birthday parties, graduations and funerals, and although funerals are pretty much ruined by the dead person, still, bugs can make the day even worse. In fact, I cannot think of one good thing to say about insects. Sure bees make honey but there is always sugar and what's the difference? (If you ask me, honey is too sticky anyway.)

So I was stunned to learn that the practice of eating insects, which is called entomophagy, is a pretty big deal. A report issued in 2013 by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization stated there are 1,900 edible insect species on Earth, hundreds of which are already part of the diet in many countries. It suggested that roughly two billion people eat a wide variety of insects regularly, both cooked and raw, and have been doing so since the dawn of man.

Apparently this is true not just in underdeveloped countries where they don't have Pizza Huts and Chipotles on every corner but even here in the United States. Today I saw the following items for sale in a hardware store in Rhinebeck, New York, right next to the gum and Tic Tacs. When I asked, the clerk said they are "pretty popular." Check them out:

Worm lollipops

White chocolate wafers with ants inside

Crunchy crickets