Eating bugs

If given the choice....

If given the choice....I'd prefer to feed bugs to something more edible for me and somewhat lower on the food chain than me....like poultry, fish etc. Australian Aboriginals have long incorporated insects and bugs into their hunting and gathering diets. Some insects such as the Witchety Grub, Bogong Moth, Green Ant, and the Sugarbag / honey ant are highly prized.


Aboriginal Culture - Aboriginal Bush Foods

Renal Resource Centre

Honey Ant | Australian Bush Tucker – Bush Food

Witchetty Grub | Australian Bush Tucker – Bush Food

Green Ant | Australian Bush Tucker – Bush Food

Bogong moth - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

I remember eating worms when I was little but that was on a dare!

 

caterpillars

Living in China, I easily have this opportunity.

Our family is very fond of fried green cabbage worms. I always think about how much work it was to pick off so many little worms. Chef friend says, 10 to 15 seconds in hot oil is just about right.

Scott

 

When I visited China the only thing I could eat was pizzza hut mcdonalds and roasted duck.

 

Honeyed grubs,steamed in a bananna leaf over coals are yummy.
So are candied ants,termites,and grasshoppers(choco covered).
Shrimp,lobster,crabs,oysters,scallops,conch,squid,and octopus are all just differing versions of sea bugs(Yummy!!).
I DRAW THE LINE AT ROACHES THOUGH!!(YUK!!) I remember a lady on the Johnny Carson show that had a live one of those nasty assed hissing roaches.
As She was showing it off,and talking about how the natives of Madagascar ate them,she popped it into her mouth and started chewing.
I dont know who felt like blowing chunks the worst,Johnny,or myself.(Bleach wouldnt have made thos lips kissable after that!)
Matt

 

Y'all ever SMELLED a roach? And they tend to crap when caught......

One bug I wouldn't eat on a dare.......

Even the big Banana Spiders won't eat a roach.

 

Never intentional. Who knows how I would act when starving but off the top of my head bugs would be the last thing I would eat to survive, I like th eidea of finding edible plants much more, protein is the problem I guess.

If I had to quickly swallowing a earth worm or roasting/frying ants, grass hoppers are what I would try first. I would probably die before eating spiders and roaches.

 

This could be a problem for me. When I was a young kid, I went to summer camp and I Would Not drink the fruit drink (similar to Kool Aid) that was available at all meals because everybody referred to it as BUG JUICE.

However, if it truly becomes a matter of survival, we shall see.

 

In the Navy, we used orange 'bug juice' to clean our brass. Works very well! I had the shinyest and best smelling fire station on board!
We drank it too - even knowing how wellit 'cleaned'.

Man will eat a LOT of disgusting things...... there are some things we Westerners eat that an Asian might turn his nose up at.

 

Personally the only thing I've eaten "bug" wise is snails (the Escargot vintage). I know of ants,termites, grasshoppers and worms, but haven't worked up the nerve to try it. I'm more inclined to use them as bait for something bigger.

Of course, in any dire scenario, one does what one has to do. Period.

 

LOL. I forgot about snails! I had a marine biology teacher in high school who took us all to Galveston on a field trip. Taught us to seine, and where to find and how to cook periwinkles pulled from the estuaries. I remember being shocked to find they actually tasted pretty good.

 

Here in Florida, salt water snails are thick on the sawgrass at times, when the tide goes out. Kept the local Indians well fed many moons ago. Also, the streams have crayfish, and any salt water canal likely has shrimp. Cast nets are common items down here!

 

Forgot I did try snails. I didn't care for them much but would be a good survival food with some butter.

That makes me think, is there an adverse affect to swallowing a live worm or will the stomach juices kill it right away. That would not be pleasant to wolf down a handful of worms and then feel them wiggle around for the next 30 minutes.

 

Not earthworms - all protein. There are parasitic types that would be harmful, but they aren't normally found just crawling around.

 

I had a great biology teacher in high school who would bring in all kinds of food, earthworm brownies, frog legs, make lemonade with ants. Till you knew what it was it was delicious. I look back and thank him for what he taught. Now anybody know what bung balogna is?... You may not want to find out.

 

Heck, if most knew how sausage, wieners and other 'processed meat products' were really made, they'd never eat 'em. I kNOW what goes into them, and I still eat 'em. Earthworms ans snails aren't any worse.
Squid and Octopus are pretty good if prepared right - rubbery if not, like conch.
Many bugs have a sharp acrid flavor- ask any Harley rider......

 

You eat z bugs now.

 

Not as long as there are people around! When I run out of people...I'll think about it!