The other day when I was driving back to my office after lunch I saw something big in the road and actually stopped my car to have a look.
I was initially disappointed that it wasn’t as tarantula.
But hey, these huge “Mexican General” grasshoppers are pretty cool too … and he was nice enough to let me snap a quick picture before flying away.
After birds, insects are probably some of my favorite things to take pictures of. I also generally like insects (well, besides mosquitos). My intention if this had been a tarantula was to move it off the road before it got squashed. Grasshoppers are among my favorites, especially the colorful ones around here.
But …
For about 10 years now I've also really wanted to catch one of these big grasshoppers, season it up with some cayenne pepper and throw it on the grill or in a pan to see how it tastes.
Eww, Todd, You would Eat Bugs????
Yep, I sure would.
Heck, it’s already a pretty common practice in much of the rest of the world.
… and if enough of us switched from meat to insects it would likely be really good for the environment.
Okay, I won’t get my hopes up on that one.
I’m more of a beans and legumes fan myself, and that might be an easier sell to our carnivore friends (note: I’m a flexitarian: I try to eat alternatives to meat when I can, but also won’t be upset if there’s pepperoni on my pizza or the family decides it’s grilled hamburger night).
I don’t know if I’m the best advocate to try to convince anyone else to eat bugs. My temptation was to do some research and write more about the subject here. But you know what, I’m not a fan of reinventing the wheel, and a quick Google search showed there are already some good articles out there (seriously, check it out). Here are a couple of examples:
https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/good-grub-why-you-should-consider-eating-bugs
So, will I be having fried grasshopper for dinner tonight?
I don’t know, but if I was ever going to try it, now would likely be the time. I bet I could catch a dozen or more if I spent 10 minutes out in the yard this afternoon.
I’ll let you know when I actually do it.
Til Next time,
Todd
p.s. I’d love to hear what you think.