Mmm, More Bugs

Going directly into my files for "life is gross, but whatever," and "let's all eat more bugs," here's Bug Girl with a nice post on Skepchick explaining why we shouldn't necessarily freak out about food products dyed with insect extract.

It turns out insect-derived dye (cochineal) may be more sustainable, and is certainly no more weird, than the alternative, Red Dye # 40, which is made from petroleum. Yum.

Bugs or petroleum? Honestly, they both sound so delicious that I wish there were a way to enjoy them at the same time, in some sort of super-red food that was advertised with the catchy slogan "Now with more types of dye!"

Somebody should get to work on that.

I am a vegetarian these days, so I suppose in theory I should prefer the petroleum, but I'm honestly not as concerned about consuming bug bits as I am about bits of larger animals. Call me a hypocrite if you must.

This being so, and since there are bits of bugs in a lot of processed foods (check out the post's link on coffee and chocolate for exciting details on exactly how many insect fragments are acceptable in 100 grams of chocolate!), I'm really not very concerned about this.

No, I wouldn't just pick up a bug and eat it, unless I were really hungry or getting paid a lot of money, but  if undetectable pieces of bugs are in the sweet, sweet candy I was going to eat anyway?

Whatever. It's still sweet, sweet candy. Hand it over.

My Character Witnesses

Although I sometimes pretend to grouchiness and ill humor, I think I should let everyone know that I am actually very sweet. Delectable, even.

I have this on good authority, which authority being the number of mosquito bites I always manage to accumulate after an outdoor party.

This evening, I got mosquito bites through my jeans. That's just how luscious I am. Parasitic insects find me irresistible. So if you've ever thought me appealing in any way, you're in good company.

As an aside which is almost certain to take up most of this post, why is it "irresist-ible"? Usually things that can be done or not done are spelled with an "-able." As in, I was unable to manage that thing, or think that thought, or whatever.

Internet? Help me out here.

OK, the Online Etymology Dictionary says that the derivation is "from L.L. irresistibilis, from assimilated form of in- "not, opposite of" ... + resistere".

So it's not actually based on being able to resist something, it's based on a separate word meaning not resistibilis (presumably this does mean, more or less, "resist-able") which was spelled with an 'i'. All right, then.

That conveniently also explains why it's 'ir-' resistible instead of 'un-' resistible, which would be the expected pattern based on things you can't manage or think or so forth.

Thanks, internet!

Mm, Delicious Food

Another in a series of things I've read that makes me think you should be eating bugs: this Slate article officially titled "Ant Eaters," but with the promotional headline "Insect banquet: you should probably start eating ants."

Yes, you. Go eat ants! Also worms, if you want.

Me, I'm sticking to peanut butter.

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Hungry?

I would like to direct you to this delicious article about eating bugs.

High-quality protein! Much more energy-efficient than meat! In most cases, no more legs than crabs, shrimp and lobster!

You go first. Have some insect-flavored wine to go with it.

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Bad News About Bats

I've heard a bit about the mysterious bat die-off before, but this story from the Boston Globe Magazine has distressing details.

Entire species of bat are on the verge of dying off, which is bad because they play a major role in the ecosystem, eating all those bugs, and it could have seriously unbalancing effects if they disappear: "Kunz [a bat expert] estimates that there are 694 tons of insects loose in the environment now that would have been consumed by the estimated 1 million bats that have already died."

That's a lot of tons of insects. And a lot of dead bats.

This is also bad because bats are super cool, with their flying and their sonar and their insect-eating, and I just like their adorable hideous faces.

Good luck with this mystery, bat scientists, and good luck with the fight against extinction, bats.

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Speaking of Bugs

I saw this alarming article in Stuff@Night detailing the ways in which wine may be vegan/vegetarian-unfriendly (not to mention kind of gross).

It seems--and stands to reason when you think about it--that large numbers of insects and even small mammals tend to get swept up in the grape harvest and may wind up pulverised in the wine-making process. Needless to say, any solid particles of these creatures will be strained out before the wine reaches the bottle and your glass (or, if you're in a hurry, your mouth), but if you're serious about a vegan lifestyle, you have to consider that animals probably did die in the process.

I would imagine, though, that the same must be said about wheat, corn, or pretty much anything that's harvested using the efficient machinery of the modern agricultural process. Those machines aren't selective enough to pick only the part we eat: they're going to sweep a lot of little things up along with it.

Not to mention the insects and small animals that are intentionally killed to prevent them from eating the crops before we get to them.

So if you eat bread, might as well have wine to go with it, that's what I say.

I personally am not a vegan, although I'm sympathetic to the idea, so I'm more interested in the ick-factor of bug juice in my wine. But, as I concluded with regard to food coloring, I'm willing to assume that what I don't know won't hurt me on this. If I can't see bug legs floating around, I'll drink it.

Heck, even if I do see a stray insect limb, I might pick it out and drink it anyway. I hate to waste good wine, after all.

I Hear Bugs are High in Protein

I bookmarked this Well piece on Bugs in Your Food a while back because I thought it was an interesting question. Do we need to know if there might be traces of insects in our food?

The question is about cochineal and carmine, which are food dyes derived from insect bodies. The FDA has ruled that food containing this dye needs to state that ingredient on the label, but doesn't need to state its bugly origins. 

Personally, I'm inclined to say that what we don't know won't hurt us. Yeah, it sounds kind of gross, but so what if we get a little bug juice? Don't most people inhale a few bugs a year anyway? 

On the other hand, the article mentions allergic reactions--obviously a concern--and vegans would also like to know if there are living creature substances in an item, so perhaps it is an important bit of information.

On the third hand, if it's that important to certain specific people, might it not be OK to leave it up to them to know what cochineal and carmine are, without having to specify on every piece of packaging? 

On the fourth hand, we do see these general warnings of items 'processed in a facility that also processes wheat' or peanuts or tree nuts, while the lucky majority of people are not personally concerned with these ingredients, so this could be a public service along those same lines.

On the fifth hand, do we really have to use insects to make dye in this high-tech modern age? Don't we have cool chemicals for that?

On the sixth hand, bugs are natural and possibly organic, and who knows what chemicals are in those food coloring agents?--so maybe the insects are health food!

On balance...enh. I guess I don't have strong feelings either way. I'd just like to note that I'm not afraid of eating bugs. I have eaten fried grasshoppers. So there. (Not that I'm in a hurry to do it again.)