Starvation-threatened Africans are being encouraged to eat insects by a UK aid initiative.

African caterpillars, migratory locusts and black soldier flies are on the menu under the initiative taking place in Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo - but locals are rejecting the offer due to the taste and cultural norms.

Dr Alberto Fiore, the project lead who has whipped up a dish of locally farmed mopane worms, cereals, and fruits, has also created a insect-based porridge containing grains including sorghum and millets, which he reassured the Guardian is palatable.

  • lxvi@lemmygrad.ml
    5·
    2 years ago

    other people made similar comments as you. In this case I’d consider that if they wanted to eat insects they’d already be eating them. It isn’t Africans trying to, quite literally, jam insects down other Africans throats here. If a culture doesn’t eat insects then for that culture insects aren’t “poor people’s food”.

    You can say sometimes the upper class is grossed out by poor peoples foods. Its just as often for them to fetishize it and appropriate it into an exotic novelty. There’s plenty of foods I wouldn’t eat. I’m grossed out by organ meat. Other people like it. It’s what it is.

    I liked your main thesis of self determination. Give them the industrial means of self sufficiency. If they use those means to harvest insects that’s well and good. If they want to harvest grain and livestock that’s well and good also. Its their decision they can make it for themselves

    • TeezyZeezy@lemmygrad.ml
      3·
      2 years ago

      That makes sense. I just didn’t want to come across as snobby or diss any cultures that do.

      Self determination and sufficiency is a huge thing for most of us, I’d hope, hah.