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WOULD YOU
EAT THIS?

BY KRISTIN LEWIS

n your hand, you are

Plus, insects are highly nutritious,

holding a piece of toast

and studies show that eating them

topped with something

is easy on the environment. But

that looks like beans. You

can entomophagythat is, bug-

inhale the pleasant buttery

eatingever become popular in

scent, and your stomach

America?

starts to rumble in anticipation. You

chomp down. The crispy morsels
explode in your mouth, releasing

SCHOLASTIC SCOPE FEBRUARY 2016

Humans have been eating

their delicious, creamy insides. The

insects for millennia. Ancient

taste is distinctly nutty.

Romans feasted on beetle grubs.

Congratulations: You have just

swallowed a bunch of mealworms.
Now hold on. Dont be grossed

22

Finger-Licking Good

The Greeks loved grasshoppers.

And some 10,000 years ago, hunters
and gatherers ate bugs to survive.

out. Mealworms, along with many

When these early humans came

other insects, are quite scrumptious.

to what is now Europe, where the

ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES (MAGGOT)

Many experts
are saying that
insects are the food
of the future.
Does that mean
that one day, youll
be eating maggots
for dinner?

Debate
land was mostly frozen, few insects

good idea to eat the creepy crawlies

were available. As people settled

in your backyard anyway. Only

and began raising cows, sheep, and

insects harvested in the wildby

other animals, insects became a

expertsor raised on farms should

delicacy rather than a food source.

be considered edible.

Although entomophagy has long

The Incredible
Edible Insect

Aside from the ick factor, there

been out of favor in many parts of

are other challenges to popularizing

the West, insects remain popular

insect-eating in the U.S. For one,

dishes in other parts of the world.

there isnt much of a system to

Travel to Mexico, and ask to sample

support farming bugs. Not too

escamolesant eggs fried in

many people know how to do it and

butter and spices and served with

there arent many places to buy the

tortillas. In Uganda, try termites

necessary equipment.

steamed in banana leaves and

We know, we knowthese
snacks look pretty gross.
But they can be quite tasty!

Thats not to say you cant buy

served de-winged. More than 1,900

bugs here, though. In the past

species of insects are used as food;

few years, dozens of edible-insect

at least 2 billion people regularly

companies have been started in

eat insects, according to the United

the U.S. You can buy energy bars

Nations (UN).

made from cricket flour, chocolate-

Name: Fried grasshoppers

Country: Mexico
Taste Like: Shrimp

dipped and candy-coated worms,

Little Monsters
If insects are so delectable, why

tofu. And its legal to sell whole

dont Americans just start eating

insects raised for eating, as long as

them? One reason is that from a

the scientific name appears on the

young age, most of us learn to fear

package.

bugsto stay away from bees,

ALAMY (GRASSHOPPERS); PATRICE HAUSER/GETTY IMAGES (LARVAE); ALAMY (SCORPIONS)

cricket cookies, and mealworm

For the most part, however, the

scorpions, and ticks that can sting

supply of edible insects is small.

and bite us or spread diseases.

As a result, they are expensive.

We have come to see bugs as little

Cricket chips, or chirps, cost $15

monsters, and in some ways, we

for three 5-ounce bags. Thats four

should. Our disgust is a survival

times more expensive than the

tool that keeps us from eating

comparable amount of beef. For

potentially harmful things. Think

that reason alone, few chefs are

of flies flitting around on dog poop,

likely to add bugs to their menus

cockroaches scampering through a

though some high-end restaurants

sewer, and maggots wriggling in a

are already serving them. Among

garbage bin full of rotting food.

the most popular dishes at the

Not so appetizing, right?

Black Ant in New York City are black

Of course, its not like the bugs

ant guacamole, grasshopper soup,

squirming around in your trash

and sauted grasshopper tortillas.

are going to end up on your plate

(The insects are purchased

(at least not on purpose!). Its not a

in Oaxaca, Mexico.)

Name: Fried scorpions

Country: China
Taste Like: Fishy potato chips

Name: Roasted larvae

Country: Thailand
Taste Like: Nutty mushrooms

SCOPE.SCHOLASTIC.COM FEBRUARY 2016

23

Healthy and Eco-Friendly

Some studies suggest

If more Americans choose to

that insects raised as food

You probably
already eat
bugs. Its legal
for food to
contain a small
number of
insect parts.

more research is needed.

There is also the problem

eat bugs, prices will eventually fall.

may put less strain on

And the nutritional benefit of eating

the environment than

bugs gives us a good reason to do

traditional meat sources

so. Many species are rich in iron,

like cows. Insects take less

arrived in the U.S., many

protein, fiber, and other nutrients.

space to farm than cows

Americans were grossed

Cicadas have the same amount

and grow faster. The UN

of protein per pound as beef. (Of

has suggested that bugs could also

raw fish. Now, there are more than

course, youd have to eat about 230

provide an important food source

4,000 sushi restaurants across the

cicadas to get the amount of protein

as the global population rises.

countryits a $2 billion industry!

in a 12-ounce steak.) Many insects

of convincing Westerners
that bugs taste good. Then
again, when sushi first

out by the idea of eating

Still, we dont know enough

So who knows? Maybe one day,

are even gluten-freeideal for

about the health risks of eating

you and your family will sit down to

those who have gluten allergies.

bugs. Even the UN has said that

a delicious dinner of beetle pasta.

Should Bugs Be on the Menu?

Imagine that you are an American chef. You are considering creating some
insect dishes to serve in your restaurant. What are the pros and cons?

PROS

CONS

Why bugs are not so great

1 They can be delicious.

Examine the pros and cons, and decide what you think. State your
opinion in one sentence below. This can become the thesis statement for
an argument essay on whether you, as an American chef, would put bugs on
your menu.

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Why bugs are great