Eat The Beetles!: An Exploration into Our Conflicted Relationship with Insects

Description

Meet the beetles: there are millions of them and many fewer of the rest of us mammals, birds, and reptiles. Since before recorded history, humans have eaten insects. While many get squeamish at the idea, entomophagy - people eating insects - is a possible way to ensure a sustainable and secure food supply for the eight billion of us on the planet. From upscale restaurants where black ants garnish raw salmon to grubs as pub snacks in Paris and Tokyo, Eat the Beetles! weaves these cultural, ecological, and evolutionary narratives to provide a humorous exploration of entomophagy.

David Waltner-Toews is an epidemiologist, veterinarian, and writer specializing in ecosystem approaches to health and disease. He is the founding president of Veterinarians without Borders. Previous books include The Origin of Feces, The Chickens Fight Back, and Food, Sex and Salmonella. He has also published fiction and poetry. He lives in Kitchener, Ontario.

"Eat the Beetles provides a sturdy literary exoskeleton to the field of human insectivory. An in-depth look at the science behind the movement, it entertains as it enlightens." -- Daniella Martin, author of Edible: An Adventure into the World of Eating Insects and the Last Great Hope to Save the Planet "This will inform and fascinate readers of food history, gastronomy, epidemiology, and ecology, as we begin to understand more about the lives of insects and the important roles they play in our society." -- Booklist "Waltner-Toews punctuates this serious subject with his quirky humour ... Eat the Beetles! is an essential part of a growing buzz?." -- Toronto Star "When it comes to the future of insects as food for humans and livestock, Waltner-Toews walks the line between skepticism and optimism in an intelligent, witty, and provocative analysis that should be a model for any clear-headed discussion of non-traditional solutions to the world's problems." -- Jeff Lockwood, author of The Infested Mind: Why Humans Fear, Loathe and Love Insects and Poisoned Justice "While Eat the Beetles! covers serious topics, including the world's food scarcity issues, it's also entertaining, with amusing stories and thoughtful reflection." -- University of Guelph News