locusts and insects as food

[Jerry Bricker]

On Thu, 16 Nov 1995, David Carmean wrote:

> >...the desert SUFFERING?  No offense to you entomologists
> >out there, but eating an insect would seem to me a better
> >example of suffering than eating carob.
>
> Well, I am an entomologist, but I still wonder about this primitive Western
> prejudice against eating one potentially nutritious taxon.  We (westerners)
> pride ourselves on our lack of superstition and bias, our openness to
> reasonable ideas, and our ability to be objective.  Our perception that
> only freaks and 'primitive' people eat insects is troubling to me.
>
> Apologies to those tired of this thread,
> Dave Carmean                     carmean at sfu.ca
> Biological Sciences              (604) 291-5625
> Simon Fraser University          FAX  291-3496
> Burnaby, BC  CANADA V5A 1S6

As a plant biologist I can only say that Dave Carmean is right on the
money.  I wonder how many of us have considered what our sources of
protein will be early next century when the worldwide human population
doubles to over 10 billion.  Many people may find themselves more than
willing to "suffer" eating insects (or any other foodstuff, for that
manner).

Jerry Bricker
Laramie County Community College
Cheyenne, WY 82007>