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Farm 432

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Re: Farm 432

#51

Post by mVChr »

lbotos wrote: post #45
warble wrote: post #3

I talked to my kids about eating insects the other day with the expected results in the form of 'ew' and such. We've spent so much time in modern society associating insects with disease it's hard to dissassociate. For some reason shrimp which are essentially bugs are no problem because (I think) they come from the ocean, so there's an obvious mental line that can dissassociate them from other bugs. This is a great i…

These guys are working on cricket bars as a protein source: https://www.exoprotein.com/ (No affiliation, they were a few desks over at a coworking space)

Chapulines[1], a form of fried grasshopper, are already a popular dish in Oaxaca. I've had them, they're tasty, a bit like salty, earthy, not very meaty crab I guess. In fact, there's already a cricket bar based off of this dish[2]. Americans in general are pretty squeamish about their food, but this is not true in many other parts of the world. See tripe, chocolate meat (dinuguan), balut, etc.

1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapulines 2 http://chapul.com/

Re: Farm 432

#53

Post by Loughla »

volker48 wrote: post #22

Why not just let the animals pasture and eat grass instead of feeding them grain? Factory farms are the big problem.

Because there is no conceivable way to feed the world on pasture animals. There just aren't enough resources.

Re: Farm 432

#54

Post by dwiel »

frozenport wrote: post #35
volker48 wrote: post #22

Why not just let the animals pasture and eat grass instead of feeding them grain? Factory farms are the big problem.

>>Factory farms are the big problem. Is it wrong to say that factory farms are efficient and therefore less of a strain on resources?

Basically, "the cheaper the better." That's not how I evaluate food choices since it is so closely tied to health and so quality is important in addition to cost.

There are plenty of other times other than food when "the cheaper the better" is not true.

Re: Farm 432

#55

Post by Falling3 »

volker48 wrote: post #22

Why not just let the animals pasture and eat grass instead of feeding them grain? Factory farms are the big problem.

Factory farms are the big problem because they're the entire industry. There is absolutely no way to feed people at anywhere near the current consumption levels with pasture-raised animals.

Re: Farm 432

#56

Post by joshuaheard »

code_duck wrote: post #47

I love that this is being discussed. I've often spoken to friends of the cultural cognitive dissonance Americans exhibit in being repulsed by eating terrestrial bugs, but loving shrimp, crab and lobster. Many Americans never see a whole shrimp and don't even realize that they have a bunch of antennae, legs, a head and would be considered completely horrifying to eat if they lived on land. Eating insects such as crick…

I think it may be because we don't eat the crab or lobster shell and all (although some eat shrimp shell). It may help widespread acceptance if there was a process where the meat was separated and made into some type of insect hamburger that could be texturized and flavored.

Re: Farm 432

#57

Post by Recoil42 »

warble wrote: post #3

I talked to my kids about eating insects the other day with the expected results in the form of 'ew' and such. We've spent so much time in modern society associating insects with disease it's hard to dissassociate. For some reason shrimp which are essentially bugs are no problem because (I think) they come from the ocean, so there's an obvious mental line that can dissassociate them from other bugs. This is a great i…

>For some reason shrimp which are essentially bugs are no problem because (I think) they come from the ocean, so there's an obvious mental line that can dissassociate them from other bugs.

Generally, we eat the innards, not the exoskeleton.

Re: Farm 432

#58

Post by astolarz »

rndn wrote: post #43
suvelx wrote: post #19

What about taste? While bugs are a great source of protein, we don't eat foods primarily based on nutrition, we eat food based on taste. I know Huhu or Witchetty grubs taste similar to peanut butter. And while peanut butter is nice and all, I want me some rich (but sustainable) beefy taste.

https://edibug.wordpress.com/list-of-edible-insects/ There are a couple of bugs listed, I couldn't find anything about beefy tastes though. Perhaps, it can be achieved with artificial flavors?

I've gone to a couple vegetarian restaurants where they've made some pretty convincing "beef", "chicken", "duck", and "pork" out of tofu, so why not insects?

Re: Farm 432

#59

Post by dmritard96 »

petercooper wrote: post #39

I've realized this breaks a willful ignorance I have over animal-based food. Coming from afar, I can put aside the realities of meat eating and imagine chickens and cows dancing hand in hand in a lush green field enjoying their short lives.. (and yes, I can do this, otherwise I'd be a vegetarian.) With Farm 432 in my kitchen, however, the idea of life multiplying to keep my belly full is right in my face. How sickeni…

I have gone flexitarian for this reason. As someone concerned with global warming, I found it troubling to eat meet regularly. Couple that with industrial agriculture and that did it for me. If its at someones place I won't make a big deal, but I basically won't buy meat unless its particularly hard to get around. Even then its pretty much only fish and chicken...

Re: Farm 432

#60

Post by SwellJoe »

ch wrote: post #18

At first I was totally grossed out by the though of the entire process. It's tough to see how the sausage is made, tougher still with the cultural aversion to eating bugs. Then I watched the video where they are frying up the bugs in the pan, and though "How can they be so thoughtless to use metal on a non-stick pan"! So perhaps I'm past my aversion to eating bugs! Maybe not.

And, then eating out of the non-stick pan with a metal fork! Absolutely disgusting. I couldn't look away.
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