Slog - Comments on Combatting Climate Change http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change Then you need to start... eating bugs. In the kitchen at Toscanini’s Ice Cream, David Gracer plunged a spoon into various insect-and-ice-cream concoctions. Wielding a grasshopper covered in burned caramel, he said: “Insects can feed the world. Cows and pigs are the S.U.V.’s; bugs are the bicycles.” Provocative as that sounds, insects do meet the test of environmental sustainability: they create far more edible protein per pound of feed as cattle. Edible bugs are the bicycles: I expect to see more grasshoppers and less chicken in ECB's sack lunches.... Copyright 2008 Thu, 14 Feb 2008 08:51:21 -0800 Thu, 14 Feb 2008 19:18:28 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by Andrew Oddly, I can see Dan inspecting lunch bags as they enter the office.

]]> Andrew http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938110 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938110 Chow Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:03:06 -0800 Comment by umvue Bicycles covered in sugar and fat. Mmmm...

]]> umvue http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938112 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938112 Chow Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:04:29 -0800 Comment by Fifty-Two-Eighty I'll stick with the cows and pigs, thanks. But if ECB ever does eat bugs, I want a photo of it.

]]> Fifty-Two-Eighty http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938115 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938115 Chow Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:05:51 -0800 Comment by Michigan Matt I eat shrimp and lobster. I should be eating bugs, too. Prepared correctly I think I could do it.

]]> Michigan Matt http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938119 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938119 Chow Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:07:23 -0800 Comment by NaFun It'd be neat if The Stranger sponsored a big insect feed where several Seattle celeb chefs prepared a big spread of bug food. For charity!

]]> NaFun http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938122 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938122 Chow Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:09:03 -0800 Comment by tsm I tried to make this very argument to some environmentally inclined friends a couple years ago, and no one was buying.

Pass me the crickets. Seriously, what is a lobster but an enormous bug?

]]> tsm http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938123 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938123 Chow Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:10:03 -0800 Comment by Levislade Yeah, shrimp and lobsters pretty much are bugs. If I ate animals I could see giving 'em a try.

]]> Levislade http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938126 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938126 Chow Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:16:43 -0800 Comment by leek I guess it's a bad sign if part of the reason I don't like shrimp and lobster is that they're like giant bugs...?

]]> leek http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938129 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938129 Chow Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:18:10 -0800 Comment by veggies they create far more edible protein per pound of feed as cattle.

What creates even more edible protein per pound of feed: feed! You don't need to be eating dead creatures for protein. It's almost impossible to be protein deficient in this country, even if you're vegan.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0820/is_n211/ai_17010257

]]> veggies http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938142 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938142 Chow Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:30:51 -0800 Comment by max solomon i'd rather be a vegetarian than eat bug guts.

but i eat oysters, so i'm a fucking hypocrite.

]]> max solomon http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938177 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938177 Chow Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:47:56 -0800 Comment by Hernandez I ate chocolate-covered ants once. They were good...I guess.

]]> Hernandez http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938181 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938181 Chow Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:50:58 -0800 Comment by whaleofashrimp mankind has a psychological need for some sort of meat, dating back to the cro magnum big swinging dick days where I either you were big strong healthy aggressive meat eater...or a half starved little pussy subsisting on shoots and roots........lobster are the roaches of the sea, cockroaches are nasty and I'm spider phobic , but I have eaten locusts raw, fried, and preserved in honey. they come around Florida in a big swarm every few years....black ants are nutrious but hard to catch and meager...fire ants are crunchy have a weird chemical aftertaste and will get you mildly high

]]> whaleofashrimp http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938183 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938183 Chow Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:52:27 -0800 Comment by mackro mackro Actually, the every-year-or-so emergence of 17-year-cicada broods east of us do seriously trigger discussions of recipes on how to cook cicadas... in the mainstream press even. That would have been too gross for mainstream even a decade ago.

]]> mackro mackro http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938184 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938184 Chow Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:52:43 -0800 Comment by Fnarf Bugs are OK once you get used to them. I admit I'd have trouble really getting used to them. Prepared as food I'd be OK (and have eaten them); what I can't do (yet) is just dig out the big white whitchetty grubs and munching them down fresh and alive and squirming.

]]> Fnarf http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938193 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938193 Chow Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:57:28 -0800 Comment by Ivan Cockrum I visited Thailand a couple of years ago. At many of the outdoor markets could be found wicker baskets full of fist-sized beetles (that is to say, ROACHES, ack). Plenty of meat on them though, I'm sure.

]]> Ivan Cockrum http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938196 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938196 Chow Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:59:48 -0800 Comment by nbc Industrial chicken = 4 lbs of meat from 8 lbs of feed. Seems like a much better compromise.

On the flip side I'd love to see what Carmelita does with this as a theme menu . . .

]]> nbc http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938208 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938208 Chow Thu, 14 Feb 2008 10:04:12 -0800 Comment by Smade Now is the time to turn to philosopher Vincent Vega: "But bacon tastes good. Pork chops taste good."

]]> Smade http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938248 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938248 Chow Thu, 14 Feb 2008 10:23:18 -0800 Comment by Will in Seattle Shrimp and lobster are pretty much bugs. Some bugs, like witchety grubs, are yummy roasted over a slow fire. Others ... not.

Earthworms and many bugs need to be fed a cleansing diet before you eat them, but if you're ever lost in the wilderness, bugs and mashed up cooked roots will keep you alive.

]]> Will in Seattle http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938263 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938263 Chow Thu, 14 Feb 2008 10:30:02 -0800 Comment by julia Come on, veganism is the real bicycle here. And as a vegan who's eaten grubs in the past, I can tell you that vegan food is much more pleasant.

Also, most of you are already eating bugs without realizing it. The natural food colors carmine and cochineal are made from beetles, and the "confectioner's glaze" usually found in sprinkles is too.

]]> julia http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938294 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938294 Chow Thu, 14 Feb 2008 10:43:29 -0800 Comment by mattro2.0 Can you milk grasshoppers?

]]> mattro2.0 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938300 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938300 Chow Thu, 14 Feb 2008 10:52:21 -0800 Comment by Grant Cogswell Down here in Mexico they have spicy fried (I guess) crickets, they call them chapulines. They aren´t gross, though they´re definitely an acquired taste I imagine. There´s actually a kind of blankness to the taste that the spicyness is wrapped around, if you will, that is the least appealing thing, it feels like you are eating those diet chips that make you shit your pants. The consistency is almost exactly that of filo dough, with tiny flecks of trail mix mixed in. They´re more snack food, though, I don´t think anyone has ever served them as an entree.

]]> Grant Cogswell http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938316 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938316 Chow Thu, 14 Feb 2008 11:02:27 -0800 Comment by Grant Cogswell Come to think of it, actually, they might be small grasshoppers. Not sure.

]]> Grant Cogswell http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938325 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938325 Chow Thu, 14 Feb 2008 11:04:10 -0800 Comment by Will in Seattle @20 - yes. I used to have a kitten that loved to eat grasshoppers. Almost as yummy as locusts.

]]> Will in Seattle http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938356 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938356 Chow Thu, 14 Feb 2008 11:15:25 -0800 Comment by Aislinn I'm a vegetarian and would abstain from purposefully eating bugs unless lost in the wilderness, in which case I'd rather eat bugs than a rabbit or something. But man, I sure do love watching Bear Grylls eat bugs on Man vs. Wild. It's one of my favorite parts of each episode: watch Bear eat something gross! That's a live snake, in his mouth! The one where he ate a grub and said it was the consitency of "warm cream cheese with bits of gristle" still makes me want to vomit, but in a good way.

]]> Aislinn http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938432 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938432 Chow Thu, 14 Feb 2008 11:42:07 -0800 Comment by Jersey I would love to learn how to cook and eat bugs. Seriously if I ever saw them on a menu I'd try them. I was talking to the bf about taking some trips specifically to learn how other cultures prepare insect dishes. I could set up a food cart on campus and sell spicy cricket burritos. Funny thing is I'm not even joking.

]]> Jersey http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938494 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938494 Chow Thu, 14 Feb 2008 12:15:39 -0800 Comment by Will in Seattle Most red lipstick is made from carmine, another word for crushed up red bugs.

Seriously.

Check out at the Pacific Science Center.

]]> Will in Seattle http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938533 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938533 Chow Thu, 14 Feb 2008 12:36:13 -0800 Comment by Fnarf I don't think that's true anymore. Most carminic acid is synthetic now (as are most pigments), though cochineal (the insect) is making a comeback.

]]> Fnarf http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938723 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938723 Chow Thu, 14 Feb 2008 13:59:41 -0800 Comment by Will in Seattle Plastics don't count.

]]> Will in Seattle http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938887 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c938887 Chow Thu, 14 Feb 2008 15:04:26 -0800 Comment by Fnarf You are the stupidest person on the face of the earth, Will. Who said anything about plastics?

]]> Fnarf http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c939177 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c939177 Chow Thu, 14 Feb 2008 18:28:39 -0800 Comment by Doctor Memory It is probably not at all coincidental that Toscaninni's ice cream has recently gone spectacularly out of business.

]]> Doctor Memory http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c939224 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/serious_about_combatting_climate_change#c939224 Chow Thu, 14 Feb 2008 19:18:28 -0800