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Bugs. That's what's for dinner.


Doesn't sound very appetizing? Then how about mealworms, the other other white meat?

If that still doesn't make you hungry, maybe it's time for you to meet the Cousins. This seemingly normal Minneapolis family (she's a bookstore owner; he's a real estate agent and former baker) say insect cuisine might be for you if you're looking for a healthy alternative to beef and pork.

Although bugs are relished in much of the world, people in most of North America and Europe gag at the thought. But the Cousins and other American bug eaters say their numbers are growing among people who are interested in a low-cholesterol, high vitamin, high-protein source of food. "Their nutritional value far outweighs fish, chicken, beef and pork," said Amy Cousin, 37.

Grasshoppers have twice the protein as lean steak by weight, according to Florence Dunkel, Montana State University entomology professor and editor of The Food Insects Newsletter. A 100-gram serving of termites contains 67 percent of the recommended daily allowance for riboflavin, she said. And bees are a good source of vitamin B, Cousin said.

Dunkel said eating bugs is good for the earth. "Raising beef cattle is hard on the environment," she said. Insects can provide a source of protein when other meat products are unavailable, say bug proponents. If that pesky Y2K problem or some other apocalypse disrupts conventional food supplies, guess what we'll be eating? "You can't take a cow in the space station. But you can take insects," Dunkel added.
The final argument for bug munching: They taste good. "They're not slimy," Cousin said. "They're really not. They're meaty." "At the present moment, it's a food of the future in the United States," Dunkel said.

Oatmeal-mealworm cookies
Cousin said she discovered insects as food about 1½ years ago when she was selecting books for her store, Sirius Books and Essence in Northeast Minneapolis. She came across such titles as Creepy Crawly Cuisine; the Gourmet Guide to Edible Insects, Entertaining With Insects, The Eat-A-Bug Cookbook, and Man Eating Bugs. Insect recipes can also be found on the internet, including at the Orkin pest-control company website.

Intrigued, Cousin visited the University of Minnesota insect collection with her four young children, whom she teaches at home. Then they did a little grocery shopping at a pet store. When the clerk asked what kind of pet they were going to feed with the mealworms and crickets, Cousin handed her recipes for oatmeal-mealworm cookies, and crickets and mushrooms over rice. "She kind of looked at that, looked at us, and backed away," Cousin said.
Insect and food experts believe that there is a food taboo against eating insects because bugs are relatively inefficient to eat in places where there is an abundance of large mammals as protein sources, as in America and Europe.

Cousin said her desire to teach her children to be open-minded helped her overcome her squeamishness against grabbing a bunch of wiggling worms or crickets before dropping them into the soup pot. "They crawl. You have to run after your food," she said. "Yesterday was the first time I picked them up alive without being psyched up." But her kids are good examples of what happens when you start them young. "I put a burger in front of her and a scorpion in front of her, and I guarantee she's going to go for the scorpion," Cousin said of her 15-month old daughter, Manaal. When the 3-year-old, Ijaaz, was asked what she thinks of mealworms, she replied, "Goooood," in a tone of voice that seems to imply "What a silly question."

"Oh, my God. Oh," said customer Stacey Gill, when she saw a wiggling mass of live mealworms in a container at Cousin's store. But emboldened by the example of Cousin's kids downing roasted worms, Gill gave one a try. "It's like sunflower seeds," she said. Cousin's two oldest children, Maarya, 8, and Sha'yaa, 7, said they like to catch and eat ants. But Cousin discourages that because you don't always know where city ants have been. The kids may be a little exceptional. They also like to eat vegetables, Cousin mentions.
Mrs. Cousin says she now purchases live mealworms and crickets in bulk from mail-order suppliers, such as Rainbow Mealworms Inc. of Compton, California The 2,000 medium-sized mealworms it takes to make a pound costs $9.75 plus $3.20 in shipping, or enough money to buy a pretty nice steak. But she says she still thinks the bugs are a good value compared to beef. The Cousins are thinking about making and selling baked goods with insects. And they are considering more exotic bugs to try, such as honey pot ants, praying mantises and tarantulas. She is also thinking about raising the bugs herself to save money. "It's like having a beef cow, except you keep it on the kitchen counter," Dunkel says. Dunkel warns that not all bugs are edible, however. Some contain microtoxins. She says she only eats cooked insects, and she is careful to use live suppliers with a reputation for delivering healthy, vigorous insects. People who are allergic to shellfish will be allergic to insects, she cautions. "I would feel more comfortable if we had inspection or regulation or grading."

Food of the future?
But so far, bugs as food are below most nutritional radar screens. When asked about bugs as an alternative protein source, University of Minnesota Extension nutritionist Mary Darling said, "Jeez!" followed by a peal of laughter. "I guess in this country I'd be concerned where those insects have been. Here, we use an awful lot of sprays and insecticides," she said. "Typically, most people would substitute beans," said Bill Shafer, a University of Minnesota associate professor and Extension food technologist. The University's Nutrition Coordinating Center's database has nutrient data on squirrel, seal and walrus meat, but no insects, according to assistant director Nancy Van Heel. Similarly, the USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory has information in its database on exotica ranging from goat to Chef Boyardee Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. But there are no bugs in the computer. Ron Eustice, executive director of the Minnesota Beef Council, said he is not aware of any studies that show that bugs are superior to beef. He thinks beef will survive the challenge of yet another meat of the future. "I don't see insects or ostriches as competition for the beef industry," he says.