Eighty percent of the world's people eat bugs regularly, and now some chefs and environmental advocates are trying to get Americans to try eating things that creep and crawl, like crickets, mealworms and grasshoppers. They say it takes much fewer resources to raise insects for eating and that they are a healthy choice, with lots of protein and little fat.
A restaurant in San Francisco features specialties containing bugs, and those who dare to try them say they're "not bad" and even "tasty."
Those who advocate introducing bugs into the American diet say there is simply not enough land to raise all the beef and animal meat that the world wants to eat, so insects are a great solution. It takes one gallon of water to produce one pound of insects to eat, while it takes 1,000 gallons to produce one pound of beef.
Quotes
"Now the problem is, can we have all seven billion people on Earth going shopping and buying hamburger? That's not going to happen. There's not enough land to produce the soy or to graze the cattle on Earth." - Brian Fisher, entomologist, California Academy of Sciences
"All they need is the bran and the carrots to get a water source. And then I clean them once a week. They don't need much attention. I can raise 500 mealworms in like three months." - Monica Martinez, Insect Chef
Warm Up Questions
1. Do you eat meat? If so, where does it come from?
2. What are some examples of foods people eat in other countries that people in the U.S. don’t eat often?
3. What is protein? Where does it come from, and why do people need it in their diets?
Discussion Questions
1. Would you try eating insects at the restaurant in the video? Why or why not?
2. What are some arguments made by people in the video for why Americans should eat more insects?
3. Why do you think Americans are resistant to eating bugs, when so many people around the world do?
Additional Resources
