What would it take you to start eating mealworms? What if you knew that livestock production accounted for 15 percent of greenhouse gases? What if you knew that livestock took up a lot of land where other food could be grown? What if you knew that mealworms would let farmers yield as much protein as meat with one-tenth of the land?
If you are like most people, you would say, “I do not give a shit, I am still not eating fucking mealworms.” But the Dutch, with their their even-tempered/annoying do-gooderness, hope to change that. There is a restaurant there that has an all-bug menu — not all the time but once in a while, and you know, once in a while is enough. And there is a scientist there — his name is Dennis Oonincx, which is a really good name for a Dutch scientist — who ran the numbers on bugs and discovered environmentally they were a much better bet than other animal proteins. They do need a lot of energy (mealworms need to stay warm), but they produce less greenhouse gases and they need a lot less land. (If you are not clear on why, look at a mealworm, and then look at a cow.)
OK so mealworms are good for the planet. That’s wonderful. Now they just have to convince people that eating them is better than eating steak. Or walking over hot coals.
