Bug Bites

The post Bug Bites appeared first on MARIAN ALLEN.

Bug Bites — This is news? I didn’t say “Bugs bite,” though, I said, “Bug bites.” Meaning insects as food.

This may come as a surprise from Little Miss I-Won’t-Eat-That, but I have eaten bugs. To be sure, they were chocolate-covered ants, and chocolate converts almost anything from ick to yum.

Here are some bug bite facts:

Insects are an important source of protein in many cultures, and have been since prehistoric times.Termites contain 44 percent fat and 36 percent protein and are said to taste something like pineapple.Some have suggested that stone tools were invented in order to break into termite mounds.The ancient Romans fattened grubs on flour.Locusts, beetles and grasshoppers are specifically mentioned in the Bible as permitted foods. In the New Testament, John the Baptist is said to have eaten locusts and wild honey, apparently a pretty healthy and hearty combination, and not the starvation rations I had always imagined.Seven-year locusts are considered a bountiful delicacy around here.
Watch your chickens when bugs are around, though–too much protein causes thin-shelled eggs, even eggs with only membrane and no shell at all.

So remember, if bugs get into your larder or invade your fields, bite ‘em back!

A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: A character inadvertently or unwillingly eats a bug. Does he/she ever know it? Is he/she forced to or tricked into it, or is it a bet or a dare or a necessity or an accident or what?

MA

The post Bug Bites appeared first on MARIAN ALLEN.