<In article <1991May21.172836….@sinix.UUCP> mic…@sinix.UUCP (Michael Thompson) writes:
<>
<>I have heard of people eating live insects, such as termites and ants.
<>It is necessary however, to chew them quickly before they bite
<>the inside of your mouth.
<>
<Yes, there is an amusing anecdote concerning the first time George
<Washington (who was 7 at the time) ate live termites, giving him
<cavities in his wooden teeth. His mother had told him not to eat live
<termites between meals but he just wouldn’t listen.

                                        8<O)

                                        :^{)

                                                        Irv

–
I do not have signature authority.  I am not authorized to sign anything.
I am not authorized to commit the BRL, the DA, the DOD, or the US Government
to anything, not even by implication.  They do not tell me what their policy
is.  They may not have one.             Irving L. Chidsey  <chid…@brl.mil>

> I have heard of people eating live insects, such as termites and ants.
> It is necessary however, to chew them quickly before they bite
> the inside of your mouth.

>                                    -Michael

There is a type of flying termite which is eaten by some South
African tribes.  A South African friends has eaten in the native
style: grab one out of the air, pull off the wings, and chew.
—
Clayton E. Cramer {uunet,pyramid,pixar,tekbspa}!optilink!cramer
You must be kidding!  No company would hold opinions like mine!
"That the people have a right to bear arms for the defense of themselves and
their own state or the United States…" — PA request for Bill of Rights, 1787

I have heard of people eating live insects, such as termites and ants.
It is necessary however, to chew them quickly before they bite
the inside of your mouth.

                                        -Michael

>I have heard of people eating live insects, such as termites and ants.
>It is necessary however, to chew them quickly before they bite
>the inside of your mouth.

Yes, there is an amusing anecdote concerning the first time George
Washington (who was 7 at the time) ate live termites, giving him
cavities in his wooden teeth. His mother had told him not to eat live
termites between meals but he just wouldn’t listen.

>For a long time, I have wanted to acquire a taste for insects. For a while,

Hmmmm.  And what were the circumstances when you first realized you
wanted to eat insects?

I can attest to that.  My brother used to live in Arizona, where every
Monsoon (late summer) locusts would fill the trees.  His cat would munch
on them from time to time.  It’s kinda weird having a barbecue with the
buzzing all around, and then hear one particularly close, suddenly silenced
with a *crunch* *crunch* *crunch*…turn around and there’s the cat happily
munching away…
—
\ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | /
–  Michael Weiss  we…@watson.seas.ucla.edu  |  School of Engineering and  -
–                 izzy…@oac.ucla.edu        |    Applied Science, UCLA    -
/ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | \

I know an agronomist who had to find out whether rat poison was harmful
to humans if rats were eaten after consuming the stuff. The query was
specific to some islands north of Australia, but probably has wider scope.

Tomasso.

–
Tom Osborn,                        
School of Computing Sciences,        " Beware of the small carrots "
University of Technology, Sydney,
PO Box 123 Broadway 2007,  AUSTRALIA.                          R H-M.

        Many non-Western cultures eat insects such as caterpillars, termites,
flies and grasshoppers.  Some tribes of the American Indian have utilized
the common brine fly (Ephydra hians) as food.

        Insects are actually an excellent and efficient source of protein,
with many insects also being a good source of fat.  Consider the following
comparison between a few insects and some "conventional food":

FOOD            % PROTEIN       % FAT   CALORIES/100 gm

silkworms              23          14               207
termites               23          28               347
beef                   18          21               260
fish (typical)         18           1                80

        While the concept of eating insects has considerable merit from a
scientific, nutritional and economic standpoint, it presents some serious
"aesthetic" problems.  Personally, I would find it disgusting.

>For a while,
>what stopped me was ignorance of what one can eat and how one can prepare it.

        As I understand it, most insects are prepared by roasting or
boiling.

>In recent years, books have been appearing containing answers to such
>questions. But I am unsure how to proceed. The reason is that I am
>concerned about the fact that there are a lot of insecticides in use
>and that lots of insects are infected by parasites.

        It is my understanding that "edible" insects contain almost no
parasites which could affect humans.

>true of the plants and other species such as fowl, fish and mammals that I
>usually eat, but at least the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug
>Administration take a slight interest in the matter in such cases. By way of
>contrast, I am not aware of any federal regulations or inspection of insects
>intended for human consumption.

        I’m not aware of any USDA or FDA regulations concerning edible
insects, other than as contamination to "conventional" food products.

>Can someone address my concerns in this matter ?

        I really have no personal experience in the matter, other than to
offer the following: My nine cats *love* to eat insects, especially spiders.
They’re quite healthy after having engaged in the practice for some years.

Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp.  "Have you hugged your cat today?"
VOICE: 716/688-1231       {boulder, rutgers, watmath}!ub!kitty!larry
FAX:   716/741-9635   [note: ub=acsu.buffalo.edu] uunet!/      \aerion!larry

To each his own…
—
——————————————————-
Michael A. Covington | Artificial Intelligence Programs
The University of Georgia  |  Athens, GA 30602   U.S.A.
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