[ExI] will raise bugs for food

[BillK]

On 8/6/10, Gregory Jones wrote:
> Ja but of course the critical part of all this is not how it tastes but rather what it eats.
>  A hungry population of proles can likely be trained to eat anything, or rather we can
> process any kind of high protein matter to anything we want.  But we need to be
> able to supply the raw materials in enormous quantities at low cost and low
> environmental impact, or preferrably to environmental benefit.  We need to be able
> to program bugs to seek out and devour noxious weeds for instance, and leave the
> useful crops behind.  Then report to base to breed and be devoured.
>
>

There's a word for it  -  Entomophagy.

<http://people.howstuffworks.com/entomophagy.htm>

Quote:
Today, most cultures around the globe feast on insects. There are
1,417 species of edible insects and nearly 3,000 ethnic groups that
currently practice entomophagy around the world [source:
Ramos-Elorduy]. Most of these insects are eaten in the larval and
pupal stages, though some are good all the way into adulthood. Topping
the list of edibles is the beetle, with 344 varieties to choose from
for dinner. Ants, bees and wasps are close behind with 314.
Butterflies, moths, grasshoppers and crickets are the other heavy
hitters.

So who's doing all of this bug eating? Asians lead the way. All over
Asia, moth larvae, crickets, moth pupae, beetles and dragonflies are
eaten. Crickets are dry-roasted for snacking or cooked into rice. The
larvae are added to soups, stews and stir-fried meals. The Japanese
consider the silk moth pupae a delicacy. But none of these hold a
candle to the giant water bug. This critter is a favorite in Asia. It
can be roasted and eaten whole or ground into a paste for sauces.

Africans also enjoy the crickets and grasshoppers, but mix things up a
little by eating termites and caterpillars, too. Things get a little
wacky in South America. Here, arthropods are often found on the menu.
Scorpions and even tarantulas are cooked and eaten with regularity.
Tarantulas are said to be a little on the greasy side, and the taste
often leaves brave westerners with a loss for words.

The fact that most Americans and Europeans might find eating
arthropods gross is due to cultural bias and history.
----------

They also caution Westerners not to rush outside and start eating the bugs.
Urban bugs will probably be full of pesticides.

And, finally, the military already know all about this.

Quote:
Military survival manuals clearly state that insects should be eaten
as a perfect alternative when other food sources are not available.
The success of this suggestion was widely publicized in 1996, when
Lieutenant Scott O'Grady lost his plane to enemy forces in Bosnia,
then survived in the forests by eating ants.
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BillK