I beg to differ a little bit in the perception that eating insects is in some way "degrading," while eating a maimed animal in a cage is not. Insects are an exceptional source of protein and have been eaten by many cultures for many thousands of years into the present. Far from being considered "lowly food" (which is a problematic perspective to begin with if we are working towards abolishing the notion of hierarchy amongst strange strangers), insects are often eaten as a delicacy. Check out these articles:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/07/0715_040715_tvinsectfood.html
http://discovermagazine.com/2008/may/07-want-to-help-the-environment-eat-insects
With this last article, it did come to mind the possible devastation to ecosystems if some of the insects imported for food "fled the coop" and altered the surrounding ecosystems. Insects do seem to be a difficult crop to control.
Being a bug-lover, I have always found it extremely interesting the innate sense of aversion so many feel towards bugs. At what point in the collective consciousness did bugs become "gross"? I thought maybe it had to do with the sheer abundance of them, but then again the sight of thousands of tiny fish does not draw the same effect on the stomach as a thousand baby beetles. Do we dislike them because we see them as our competitors to which we refuse to accept inevitable loss? I can think of no other category of creature so widely despised as insects. Except perhaps bacteria. And maybe some kinds of fungi (for those familiar with the abominable black mold). What characteristics do these three loathed enemies share? Perhaps fecundity (see Annie Dillard), the inhabitation of the "dark places", the ability to withstand or thrive in conditions that other living beings would perish in?
our creepy critter friends surely do have an unwarranted place in nightmares and phobias. But consider the other end of the spectrum: why is it taboo to eat dogs? they are plentiful, nutritious, and if they taste as good as they are cuddly, they are probably delicious. So what's stopping us from consuming them regularly? our conceptions of meat have become surprisingly narrow considering how many mouths we have to feed. Why is black mold "abominable?" our comfort is easily upset by stray dogs, insects, and fungi, suggesting that we are very willing to pick our meats, exclude what we decide is low/noble and allow for the blood to trickle down our chins only when we eat something "reasonable." i liked the discover magazine article. nice find.
ReplyDeletehttp://slackerspeaksloud.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/korea-dog-meat.jpg