I was not advocating eating bugs in place of meat (I don't like the idea either). I was saying that if for some reason we had to forfait meat, I think it would be easier for the average person to have a proper diet if it included bugs than a vegan one.
That said, I agree with you, those that advocate such a change are the last ones willing to do it (let's guess when meat will disappear from EU Parliament canteen).
Ok, you eat bugs, I will stay with grass-fed beef like normal people. Meat is not a "problem" and it doesn't need "solving", and I will not eat insects, that's absolutely disgusting.
You read a lot more into my comment than is actually there, which is probably the reason for your rather flippant and response.
In Europe, insect meat is still extremely rare, and where it is to be found, it is experimental and expensive. The latter will of course change through economies of scale once they reach a certain stage.
However, the public perception of insects as food is very different. I have never or heard seen a sulky "I will not eat ze bugs" comment in my language, the whole"globalists want you to eat bugs" conspiracy is mostly unknown, and would be seen as foolish.
I have not said that eating insects is the norm, but many here see it as part of the diet of the future, without that squeamishness that seems to be so prevalent in the US.
If I were to respond in the same tone as you, I would imply that you already knew that, but didn't want to let a chance pass to make yourself the victim, as Americans often like to pretend that all Europeans look down on you. However, I actually believe this is just a misunderstanding.
I know I probably won't get any information from you, since you now see me as a debate opponent instead of a discussion partner, but I was genuinely interested in the reason for the extreme opposition to insect food in the US. Maybe since English is my second language, which I learned in part by reading a lot of rather old books, my grammar and word choices are hindering me in making myself clear.
I agree, but, I disagree that one needs to kill an animal to get the necessary nutrition in our modern society. Were I starving in the wilderness, I would likely make the choice to eat meat in order to survive. But, we live in a time and place where the decision is clearly not one of survival.
So, my decision to eat bugs would be considered on the ethics of the question, among others: Is it environmentally sustainable (and, in my case, it would need to be equal or greater than the sustainability of a plant-based diet)? Is it ethical (probably just whether the bugs suffer)? Is it healthy? Is it tasty?
Here's a reality you aren't addressing: people don't really want to eat insects. Here's another: about 2 years ago a president was elected in my country partly by promising that the poor would get to eat meat regularly once again.
Make people miserable at your own peril. The simple fact is nobody really wants to be reduced to eating worms and bugs. No one really gives a shit about how "scalable" it is either. Whoever finds a way to provide what people want will have enormous power.
> If people find an alternative that looks, tastes, and acts like meat
Pretty big if you got there. The "alternatives" so far don't really fulfill any of those criteria. They also have the added bonus of offending a person's basic dignity with the knowledge that they're eating insects. There are literal animals out there who receive better treatment.
Honestly if our animal-based foods looked more like the animal there would probably be more vegetarians :)
I have a one word rebuttal: ribs. More broadly whole hog bbq, roast pig, whole fish, whole roast birds, etc. Stereotypes aside, a lot of the world’s favorite foods are clearly body parts, or the whole body, and people enjoy gnawing on the bones. Don’t underestimate the degree to which deliciousness overcomes squeamishness.
Bugs tend not to be delicious, although they are nutritious, that’s less of a draw. People struggle to eat fruits and veggies which evolved to look appealing, because a steak tastes better to them. If you want people to eat bugs they need to compete on deliciousness with other available foodstuffs. If a bug burger doesn’t taste as good as a hamburger, or Impossible burger, or veggie burger... it will mot be adopted. The bugs I’ve eaten range from OK, through bland (with good seasonings doing the work) through unappealing. That’s not going to get beyond novelty, or niche adoption. People will eat a grilled portobello mushroom or bean burger before they eat fried crickets, because the burgers taste better.
i didn't say that we should eat bugs because insect populations are declining. i said we are going to have to start eating bugs anyway (e.g. there are no more wild fish), and also that insect populations are declining.
Look at how hard vegetarians and vegans have worked for decades and decades to try to convince people to replace foods they like with other types of food that they already eat but just don't like as much. The amount of success they've had is small, and the amount of backlash high.
With insects you're trying to convince people to replace foods they like with foods they literally find disgusting and have never eaten in their lives. Yes I'm sure it makes sense on paper, but I think you're drastically underestimating the cultural barriers on this one.
We're not automatons that you can throw any random mix of protein and carbohydrates into as fuel, and food choices are not "logical". Being forced to eat insects like an animal is humiliating and disgusting. Regular meat is delicious. Most people will never consider eating bugs, they're synonymous with disease, filth, and poverty.
Why do people jump from "meat" to bugs (which are still meat btw) instead of vegetable proteins like tofu? I'd much rather eat tofu, tempeh, Quorn, etc than bugs.
I think the issue is that plant based protein is plentiful, but people want meat. Insects are kind of in between in terms of production efficiency and meat-like consistence.
That said, I agree with you, those that advocate such a change are the last ones willing to do it (let's guess when meat will disappear from EU Parliament canteen).
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