The aesthetics of insects: Staring down my disgust
As a writer and researcher who focuses on food and sustainability, I appreciate the benefits of accepting insects as a standard part of the western diet. In one sense, they represent a neat solution to several of the big problems in the food system. They are, after all, nutrient-filled whole foods that can be grown using comparatively little land and water, fed by food waste alone. But still I have a problem. I am born of a food culture that has actively eschewed insects for thousands of years. When I look at a dish garnished with mealworms, ants or crickets, I simply can’t escape my disgust. Not because these insects can’t be delicious - their long history as a part of a wide range of cuisines across the world shows how appetising they can be - but because I bring with me the Western cultural revulsion to eating insects. Given the huge number of benefits edible insects may provide us, it’s worth examining the history of this abhorrence and how this might change in the future. Based on research and interviews with insect producers conducted for a recent article, as well as additional qualitative interviews with eaters, this six minute PechaKucha presentation examines the disgust many people feel when presented with a bowlful insects, as well as looking at ways that might change in the future.
Jen Richards is a freelance writer and researcher in the space where gastronomy meets sustainability, as well as a copywriter for sustainable food businesses. She has a Masters in Sustainability from Sydney University.
Symposiasts:
We're asking: How do we make aesthetic judgements about food that disgusts?
Can there be pleasure and enjoyment in knowing our food sources intimately?
Join in the chat, what do you think?
What we eat says a lot about who we are as individuals and how we experience the world.
What we choose to eat and the feelings and emotions that we encounter when growing, purchasing, preparing, serving, sharing and eating food is complex and thought by many to be attributable to not only our gustatory sense of taste, but also our cultural upbringing and our place in society. I wonder if there is an age or stage in human development in which our gustatory and metaphorical 'taste' for food is set/fixed/cemented?
About a year ago, my family took a vacation to TNQ. While there, my children very enthusiasticly consumed live green tree ants. In fact, they decided they were so good, just like sour candies and went back for multiple helpings. We also brought back some packets of fried crickets. The children ask me if they can eat them constantly. So far I have denied them. Not because I don't want them eating bugs, but because I am sure they will scoff them before I build up the nerve to try them - an experience I want but am equally repulsed by. Perhaps, building the appeal of insects to the younger generation while they are still forming their 'sense of taste' may be an idea worth considering?
Here is a video of my kids eating "bugs".
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