Bugging out Learning series explores insects — as food

Many residents and visitors to The Fountains at Godfrey allowed a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach to climb around on their hands and arms as part of the presentation. Many residents and visitors to The Fountains at Godfrey allowed a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach to climb around on their hands and arms as part of the presentation. Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Bugging out 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

GODFREY — The bugs were cooked and crunchy, and an enthusiastic, insect-eating promoter found takers of her wormy, cricket-y samples at a senior living facility Wednesday.

“They are good for us, you can put chocolate on them, or barbecue sauce or spices,” said Patti Brown, education director of The Nature Institute in Godfrey as she popped a small, dry insect into her mouth. “This is a freeze-dried cricket. You have to look out for legs between your teeth. They do have great vitamins.”

Brown, appropriately wearing pipe cleaner antennae, spoke at the August session of The Fountains at Godfrey’s Lifelong Learning Series, held well after lunchtime in the dining room. The program drew about 40 residents of the facility, 1000 Airport Road, and members of the public — all of varying levels of bravery in sampling the cooked bugs.

As Brown extolled the nutritional and environmental benefits of eating any of 1,900 insects deemed safe for humans, a massive hissing Madagascar cockroach climbed up her arm. She would put the nameless critter back down on her wrist and it would creep up her arm over and over during her peppy presentation. “Birds and frogs eat them, why not us?”

Once in awhile, her comments would draw an “ewwwww” from the rear of the room — leaving the animated Brown unfazed —and one man spewed a plethora of wisecracks. “Don’t be squeamish, try it. Learn something new every day,” she preached.

Brown held up a dead cicada she found in her yard that morning. “Cicadas, these guys are really tasty.”

Brown said children in the Nature Institute camp try cooked bugs, and she eats the ones she raises at home, particularly the larvae. During a power point presentation, she said 80 percent of the world eats insects, but not Americans — not willingly, anyway.

“The average American eats about 2 pounds of dead insects and insect parts a year,” inside various products, she said. “Think of it as added protein. The ‘yuk’ factor, that is why we don’t eat bugs in America.”

Eating insects is called: “entomophagy,” she said.

Brown had some caveats: “Never eat a raw bug, they may have pests inside them,” “Don’t eat insects from your yard,” and, “If you have seafood allergies, don’t eat insects. They are related to crabs, lobsters and shrimp.” She also warned against eating red/orange/yellow bugs, which she called “warning colors.”

Brown recommended trying a new insect first by rubbing it on one’s lips, if no reaction, then rubbing it on the tongue to watch for any irritation. If no reaction, dinner’s on.

She stressed how much more effective insects are for protein production and better for the environment, compared to beef, pork and chicken as they require less feed and most insects produce no methane gas.; how bugs contain high amounts of protein, minerals and vitamins, proportionately.

“It’s an emerging market, people are looking for new ways to sustain a growing population,” she said. “We have limited knowledge about how we can grow them, how we can eat them and which ones we can eat.” She brought along two bug-themed cookbooks, showing there is information and recipes for the adventurous.

The hour-long program ended with Ann Osburn, who oversees the Nature Institute greenhouse, passing out rice cereal treats containing cooked wax worms and meal worms to whoever would taste the chewy squares. Bowls of other cooked bugs followed for the sampling.

The squares were a hit with many of the brave souls.

“I think it was excellent, I liked it,” said Leland Von Behren, 82, a visitor from East Alton. Fountains resident Darrell Schien, who turns 89 on Thursday, agreed. “It tastes good to me.”

Another Fountains resident, Arthur Coontz, 89, said he liked the program.

“It was very informative, she kept me awake,” he said. He also liked his crispy rice treat. “It tastes as good or better” than the regular recipe.

Jim Barzee, marketing director at Fountains, said this was the first bug-eating session at the facility’s monthly learning program. “We try to make it educational and entertaining, something fun.” While there are a variety of topics at the programs, they do avoid health-related themes.

Reach Linda N. Weller at 618-208-6450 or on Twitter @Linda_Weller