Edible

Edible

Adult nonfiction
It had seemed to me more and more that insects and related
invertebrates could be cheap sources of high quality protein in
America just like they are in a lot of the world. They reproduce like
nobody's business. They aren't injected with steroids and
subtherapeutic antibiotics. If we consumed more "pest" insects we
would be able to grow our veggies with fewer of the toxins that make
their way up the food chain.
But what would they taste like? With me, that was not idle
curiosity. One day at Community Garden I rinsed off and ate a grub.
It had hardly any taste at all. Like tofu, it could enhance anything
from chili to cookies. And I experienced absolutely no adverse effects.
As you can imagine, a lot of folks thought this experiment was
eeeuw, gross! You may very well have had that reaction. In America
incipient insectavores are distinctly in the minority. Fortunately,
not being deterred by majority opinion, I wanted to learn more. I was
delighted when I learned about Daniella Martin's Edible and thrilled
beyond measure when I was able to get my hands on it through inter
library loan. It is a fascinating read, I believe, even for folks who
plan to never chow down on grubs or crickets. There are several
strands beautifully intermingled in this very eye catching book.
One important strand is history. Although it may sound pretty
darn edgy, entomophagy (yes, that's a real word) has a long and
distinguished history. Remember the dude in the Bible, John the
Baptist, who baptized none other than Jesus. Out in the desert, he
was chowing down on locusts and honey. He was in good company. The
Paleo (hunter gatherer) diet, which people subsided on for 2.5 million
years, was about a lot more than bringing home big, dead animals.
While the guys were out doing the risky business of hunting, the women
were keeping everyone else nourished through their gathering of less
glamerous foodstuffs, with insects very much on the menu. It's only
very recently in history, a mere 10,000 years, that farming has been
the dominant mode of life. The yuck factor that makes many of us
cringe at the thought of devouring bugs is even more new to us and
even now limited to the most finicky of societies.
Another strand is ethics and sustainability. The typical
American meat based diet, especially produced under conditions of
factory farming, carries many costs beyond those picked up by the
consumer. But when we grow veggies, unless we go organic, we're
putting all kinds of toxins in the earth and, ultimately, our bodies.
And when we go organic...here come the bugs.
The third strand is Martin's description of her world wide
adventures in insect based cuisine, some of which are quite amusing.
Her sometimes mixed feelings are shared quite candidly. This lively
narrative keeps the factual base of her book from ever getting too dry
or boring.
Finally, for those who find her arguements convincing, Martin
has included information on acquiring and preparing insects, complete
with recipes.
Martin is not trying to get us to eschew all other foodstuffs,
noshing only on six and eight leggers. She shows us they can be a
very nutritious and tasty addition to our diets. In the long run
globally, with the human population rising so quickly, entomophagy may
be an important way to keep millions of people from starving to
death. As my mom used to say, it can be a way we live simply so
others can simply live.
On a personal note, this is one area I want to want to be cutting edge
in. The kale salad with crickets and enhanced milkshakes sound good.
But I want to try mixing mealworms into oatmeal raisin chocolate chip
cookies which is my idea. I might even contribute some to church
coffee hour, with a full listing of all ingredients of course.
A great big shout out goes out to insect eaters around the world.
Julia Emily Hathaway


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