Entomophagy: Should eating insects be socially acceptable?

[NDN]

I'm probably one of the few people on the board who regularly eat insects.. by regularly I mean every couple months I'll get a bag of grubs and/or a back of crickets, grasshoppers, whatever, from one of the fried insect ladies on the street.  They usually have fried shrimps too.  Everything is somewhat pre-cooked as far as I can tell, and she just fries it in hot oil with some herbs, tosses it in a bag, and sprays it with a salty sauce from a bottle. 

What's the best you've had? I've always thought that cricket looked pretty good.

NDN is your mother from Thailand?  Specifically Isaan?

Colombia actually. They eat ants regularly there. Not just with chocolate either. Some areas have actually nearly hunted them to extinction just to get good culonas (of course it's impossible to ever deplete them).

[Verily]

I ate crickets served at a restaurant once. They weren't particularly exciting. 2.

[Friz]

3.

[Sensei]

What the hey, its protein. Encourage it.

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

Wow. A majority would either encourage eating insects or would try it. There is some hope for the west.

[David S]

There are abundant insects that are healthy for you - I have no problem acknowledging that fact. I don't necessarily think eating insects should be "encouraged", but I don't think it should be discouraged either. But I've no particular intention to try it. (I know a guy who, when he catches an ant, pops it into his mouth and eats it, btw.)

Ah fair enough. I'd advise against eating wild caught insects(pesticides) so your friend isn't exactly doing the smart thing.

Do they have farm grown crickets?

[Frodo]

Option 3. 

Seriously, can anyone even contemplate eating this?

[Ban my account ffs!]

Or this:

[John Dibble]

Snowguy - that's not an insect.

[NDN]

Option 3. 

Seriously, can anyone even contemplate eating this?

No, but as far as I know there aren't any cultures where people eat coackroaches.

[HardRCafé]

I have eaten insects.  Silkworm larvae are delicious.  Crickets taste terrible.

[opebo]

Well, there is a delicious (but somewhat 'rich') spicy sauce that is prepared from a huge water-bug that does look a bit like a cockroach.  It is served with all sorts of dishes, though it is not a staple.  I was most recently given it when in the market I bought a brace of flame-grilled frogs (toads?).

That sounds awesome.  What kind of taste does it have?

I would describe it as a bit like a pungent salsa, but with a bit more fat and protein in it obviously.

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Insect dishes can be found in every big town in Isaan, the Thai Northeast (ethnically mainly Lao).  But you will definitely only find them reliably at the 'nicer' traditional restaurants.  In villages of course you will not find any such restaurants, but you might if lucky get to eat such foods in people's houses or at festivals or Morlam concerts.  In the rest of Thailand you will probably only find these dishes at speciality Isaan restaurants, though in 'bar girl' areas you will find lots of fried insect vendors on the street, as 70%+ of the working girls in the foreigner-oriented industry are from Isaan.

[opebo]

What's the best you've had? I've always thought that cricket looked pretty good.

Well, crickets are OK.. not so tasty, kind of inoffensive, and you can eat the whole thing - with various grasshoppers the legs have to come off.  Personally I have to best luck just eating grubs - I usually get one fat dark kind and one long thin whitish kind.  Very proteiny and no legs or other bits to deal with.

NDN is your mother from Thailand?  Specifically Isaan?

Colombia actually. They eat ants regularly there. Not just with chocolate either. Some areas have actually nearly hunted them to extinction just to get good culonas (of course it's impossible to ever deplete them).
[/quote]

Oh I see.  The best insect food by far in Thailand, in my opinion, is the ant egg soup.

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

Ok. Who voted for #4?

[AkSaber]

Should be legal, I'd never do it.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

I'd probably try it - it wouldn't replace my daily intake of ice cream, but I don't see why not.  Then again, I'm ok w/ eating cat or human (do you remember that debate).

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

Wait, is this illegal somewhere?

It's not illegal, its simply WAY out of the mainstream.