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"Chocolate-covered queen ants, crushed giant bug paste, grilled longhorn beetles with soy sauce: hungry yet?  For many \u2014 indeed, most of the world \u2014 insects and bugs are an important source of protein but, much to our own surprise (and disgust; let&amp;#039;s be frank) they&amp;#039;re also a great source of gustatory pleasure. That&amp;#039;s not the case in North America or Western Europe, where even the idea of a bit of bug in one&amp;#039;s salad is enough to turn stomachs and raise demands for a freebie on our restaurant bill. &amp;quot;Suddenly   almost trembling with excitement, she stuck her fingers into the bowl, grabbed a pale yellow worm, popped it into her mouth and munched down,&amp;quot; writes reporter Jeff Gordinier about a recent five-course bug-inspired feast in the New York Times. &amp;quot;She closed her eyes. She seemed to swoon.&amp;quot; Honestly, when was the last time you swooned after tasting anything? Our aversion to munching on insects and other bugs is odd, too, when you consider that many of the world&amp;#039;s most sophisticated cuisines, cuisines loved by Americans, often include insects in their repertoires. (Actually, we&amp;#039;re squeamish about quite a few things.) Those grilled longhorn beetles mentioned in the lede of this post? Those are from Japan. The Chinese have been eating six-legged critters right alongside classics such as almond chicken, Mapo tofu, and Peking duck for centuries. Mexicans enjoy maguey worms \u2014 boiled with a little lime juice \u2014 as well as chapulines, fried grasshoppers, and treehopper tacos (Actually, the list of bugs and insects adoringly consumed by Mexicans is not insubstantial). Of course, let&amp;#039;s not forget the French: escargot anyone? In truth, many insects are protein powerhouses and, in a world of steadily dwindling natural resources, they provide vital nutrition without taking as big a toll on our environment as do cows, pigs, and farmed salmon. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization hopes to convince even more people to include the tiny critters in their diets. There&amp;#039;s also the fact \u2014 perhaps unsettling to many of us \u2014 that we eat scores of insects every day already.  The Food and Drug Administration, recognizing that it&amp;#039;s nearly impossible to separate insects from food production, has established a set of standards \u2014 Food Defect Action Levels \u2014 offering guidelines for acceptable levels of insect contamination in the foods we eat every day.  &amp;quot;The FDA set these action levels because it is economically impractical to grow, harvest, or process raw products that are totally free of non-hazardous, naturally occurring, unavoidable defects,&amp;quot; reads the introduction. &amp;quot;Products harmful to consumers are subject to regulatory action whether or not they exceed the action levels.&amp;quot;      Are you thinking of cooking up some frozen Brussels sprouts with dinner tonight? Those may contain up to an &amp;quot;[a]verage of 30 or more aphids and/or thrips per 100 grams.&amp;quot; Maybe you&amp;#039;re fond of allspice. The popular spice could have an average of &amp;quot;30 or more insect fragments per 10 grams.&amp;quot; Maybe you&amp;#039;d like to wash it all down with a refreshing glass of tomato juice? That can have up to &amp;quot;10 or more fly eggs per 100 grams.&amp;quot;  Certainly, it helps that all those insect bits and pieces are thoroughly disguised by the time they reach our plates but the more adventurous among us are beginning to seek out dining experiences that include our little buggy friends and quite a few entrepreneurs have taken note.  Google &amp;quot;edible insects&amp;quot; and numerous online stores selling edible insects, as well as their prepared versions from countries around the world, crop up. Looking for fried spiders? You&amp;#039;ll find them here. In the mood for some giant hornet honey, &amp;quot;farmed by a sweet old Japanese lady in southern Kyushu,&amp;quot; complete with giant hornet? This company has you covered. Actually, they&amp;#039;ll be happy to sell you some toffee scorpion candy, too.  Go ahead. Have an extra piece. It&amp;#039;s sugar-free. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.delish.com/food/news/a38251/edible-insects/>