Episode 232: A Lesson About Bugs as Grub, Are Students Eating It Up?

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. It is a lesson that can bug some students while others are literally eating it up.

On this episode of the Supercast, we head to Mountain Creek Middle School, where we find social studies teacher Kristina Meng bringing some creepy, crawly creatures into the classroom. It's for a lesson on how bugs are considered a culinary delight in some cultures around the world. Join us for a classroom taste test like no other and a lesson students won't soon forget.

We’re here at Mountain Creek Middle School with Ms. Meng, we're about to talk with her geography class. What are we in for today?

Kristina Meng:
So today we're talking about cultural relativism, how different cultures place different values on things. Just because different cultures all do things differently and if you're judging a culture, you have to judge it like off of what's normal for them, not what's normal for us. So sort of our case study, our example is eating bugs because here in the US, that's seen as like disgusting, gross, dirty, awful. But in a lot of the world, bugs are a viable food source.

Anthony Godfrey:
A great source of protein, as you say.

Kristina Meng:
Yeah. And it's also going to bring in cultural diffusion, spreading cultures around the world, looking at like global sustainability, how a lot of people in like sustainability efforts are trying to use more bug protein instead of like other livestock and things. So we're going to be, you know, introducing all those concepts to the students today, and then at the end, they get to try bugs.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. And have you done this with other classes previously?

Kristina Meng:
I have, yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
What is the general reaction when students try bugs? How does that normally go?

Kristina Meng:
Well, it starts out, I have them take a poll, like, have you…? I don't tell them that they're going to have a chance at the end yet. I just say, “Have you ever eaten bugs before? Like would you ever?” And they're like, “Oh, no, disgusting, awful.” Some of them are like, “I don't know, it doesn't sound that bad.” But then we get to the end, like, “Well, you know, would you?” And I pull them out and they're like, “Oh, I don't know.”

Anthony Godfrey:
So now they’re faced with a real choice instead of just a hypothetical one.

Kristina Meng:
Yeah. Instead of hypothetically.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Kristina Meng:
And there's some of them who just totally refuse to try. Some of them who try reluctantly and then hate it and regret everything that brought them there.

Anthony Godfrey:
They question all their life choices at this point.

Kristina Meng:
Yeah. And then there's a lot of them who are like, whoa, that's so cool. They're like, “That's way better than I thought it would be. Can I have another one?” We've got different flavors of crickets. So some of them ask to try like every flavor. So yeah. And there's ants too.

Anthony Godfrey:
Is there a particular seasoning that pairs better with bugs than others?

Kristina Meng:
I think that no seasoning pairs well with crickets. In my opinion, crickets are always bad.

Anthony Godfrey:
I did hear that ants are one of the options as well. Or is that not the case?

Kristina Meng:
So I tried them last–the ants are in the options. Yes. I tried them last year and I was really reluctant because they looked like ants.

Anthony Godfrey:
Too ant like.

Kristina Meng:
Except they are–Ants are naturally citrus-flavored. They have like they've got like–

Anthony Godfrey:
Wait a minute. They're naturally citrus-flavored?

Kristina Meng:
Yeah. It's like some acid that they have in their bodies. So they taste sort of like lemon zest. If you just like close your eyes and imagine that you're eating lemon zest, it's a lot more bearable.

Anthony Godfrey:
So in other words, you really do have certain spices that might pair better with certain insects based on their inherent flavor.

Kristina Meng:
True. Yeah. Yeah. I've seen ants in like–not restaurants that I've been to, but I've seen pictures online of ants used as like garnish in fancy sushi places.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. Yeah. I have not been to a place that fancy. I don't think. So it's interesting this point about cultural relativism and realizing that something is not inherently gross or bad or strange just because it's something that isn't common to you.

Kristina Meng:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's interesting. I went to a training once for International Baccalaureate. To get us in that international sort of mindset the question was, what do you think kids eat most often? So what do you think the answers were initially?

Kristina Meng:
Chicken nuggets.

Anthony Godfrey:
Chicken nuggets, hot dogs, McDonald's, whatever. What is the actual answer? Rice. Because it's kids throughout the world that they were referring to. But what we do is we automatically think about the children in our own lives, when we were a child. So I think this is an extension of that kind of concept that there are things that other cultures do that would not occur to us, but that are a part of a sustainable, healthy, meaningful lifestyle.

Kristina Meng:
Yeah. And it's interesting. One of the other geography teachers, she did this lesson earlier this week here, and she brought home some extra crickets to her four and two-year-old daughters.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Kristina Meng:
And she said they loved them. They were like getting all the legs to finish them. So without that, I guess, inhibition of being told, like, “That's gross. That's awful.” Like, they really enjoyed it.

Anthony Godfrey:
So the trick is to try to get crickets on the plate of children early.

Kristina Meng:
Yeah. That's how you trick them.

Anthony Godfrey:
I think there are some people who may be listening thinking, ‘I can't get my child to eat anything that's green, much less a cricket.’ So, you know, it's worth trying. Those listening out there, get a cricket in front of that four-year-old.

Kristina Meng:
See what happens.

Anthony Godfrey:
See if we can get some sustainable protein in front of them. See if they like it. Do you eat crickets or ants every time?

Kristina Meng:
I do. Yep. I have to, you know–

Anthony Godfrey:
And have you developed a taste for a favorite?

Kristina Meng:
Absolutely not. I think they are terrible every time.

Anthony Godfrey:
Which is okay.

Kristina Meng:
Which is okay. Although I will say I don't like just whole crickets, but I have tried cricket powder ground up in pancakes. You can't even taste it. It's like a normal pancake. It's delicious.

Anthony Godfrey:
I have heard that there's kind of a meal or a flour or something you can create.

Kristina Meng:
You know, whole bugs may not be for everyone, but it's surprising how many options there are out there that are bugs, but not in a way you may recognize.

Anthony Godfrey:
Can I ask you what your bug source is? Where do you get these bugs?

Kristina Meng:
Amazon.

Anthony Godfrey:
Amazon, ok.

Kristina Meng:
Which we have to search very carefully. Our incredible secretary orders them for us. And when you first search like dried crickets, it's all like snake food that you see. And so you have to search human food crickets nd then you find good stuff. It comes in all sorts of flavors. There's barbecue, there's chili lime, there's dill pickle. So there's a variety.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Well, so those listening can hop on Amazon and get two-day shipping and have crickets brought to their door.

Kristina Meng:
Just make sure they search for human food crickets.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. I think that's an important point.

Kristina Meng:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
What are some of the student takeaways you're hoping for?

Kristina Meng:
So one of the big things I hope is I think it is a very memorable way to learn about cultural relativism and how different cultures place value on things. But also I think one of them is just broadening student's horizons and realizing the way that they've been told their whole life of this is how things are.

Anthony Godfrey:
Right.

Kristina Meng:
Realizing that that's like the world is a bigger place than just our experiences. And hopefully like across all of geography, hopefully one of the big things they're learning is how big the world is and that it doesn't have to be scary. That just because something is different doesn't mean you have to be afraid of it.

Anthony Godfrey:
The world is big. The world is different. And it doesn't have to be scary because of that. I love that. That's a great message. And actually, I think that's going to apply to the person sitting next to them too. Like this person next to me may value some different things. And I may be a little more comfortable with that than I was before I ate an ant.

Kristina Meng:
Yeah. And like we've got students from a lot of different cultures. So it's possible that like there are students at this school who have come from countries where it's normal to eat bugs.

Anthony Godfrey:
Right.

Kristina Meng:
And to have I guess students can start to realize like that they can accept that other people are different. Not just that like people in other parts of the world are different and that's okay. But like people here are different too. Like you were saying like you know even with this person sitting right next to me no two students have had the same life experiences to bring them here and just starting to open up that worldview and like it's okay that you're different. You can be different and still accept each other.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm sure as a teacher of geography it's very rewarding for you to experience this to see this happen with students that their world gets larger because of you.

Kristina Meng:
Yeah absolutely. It's definitely one of the most gratifying things. Sometimes I even have students who will be like “Oh, I went on vacation to this place and I thought about this thing that you taught us” and I love that because I love that geography is just, it's the world. It's all around us all the time. And I love when they start making those connections.

Anthony Godfrey:
So their experience in your classroom impacts the way they view the world and the learning doesn't stop in the classroom. They're on vacation thinking about your class. That's one of the highest compliments you can have I think.

Kristina Meng:
Yeah, and hopefully you know that's the goal of like all education. That it doesn't stay in the classroom. The goal right is to prepare these students to go out in the real world. They are in the real world already and preparing them for life.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. Well, I think it's fantastic. I love your enthusiasm. And I love the way that you make this learning very real. You don't forget either eating a cricket or an ant or having to choose whether to do it or not. And it says you learn about yourself, you learn about the world, and you learn that ants taste like citrus naturally. Now I'm not going to look at an ant the same way anymore.

Kristina Meng:
Now you know lemon zest in your backyard.

Anthony Godfrey:
OK perfect. Well thank you very much for taking time with us today and for providing such a unique and memorable experience for your students.

Kristina Meng:
Yeah it's been my pleasure.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back some of the students try some insects for themselves.

Break:
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Kristina Meng:
So by the end of class today you guys are going to be able to define what is cultural relativism as well as giving examples of it. You're also going to be able to define cultural diffusion and explain how cultural relativism and cultural diffusion can be linked.

Just for you guys we have bugs that you can try. We ordered them off Amazon. When you first search it's all like snake food, but these are human food-grade crickets for you as well as ants. So the crickets come in multiple flavors. There's fiesta. I don't know what that is. It's just what they call it. Fiesta flavored, dill pickle, smoky barbecue, chili lime, and hot and spicy. And the ants are naturally citrus-flavored. They taste like lemon zest. Like if you like close your eyes and like don't look at what you're eating. They're like pretty good.

So, oh, and an allergy warning. If you're allergic to shellfish you may be allergic to insects. Please don't have an allergic reaction. So if you guys want to try them we've got a mega bag.

So the ants are pretty small. I've got like a spoon to scoop them out. The crickets. If you're like, I don't know, maybe. I will say Miss Anderson did this lesson earlier this week and she brought some extras home to like her two and four-year-old kids who couldn't get enough of them. They were like, "This is the best snack I've ever had". And in case you're still thinking that it sounds disgusting and no way. Here's the reviews on Amazon.

“Five stars. Delicious. These crickets are absolutely delicious. I just love the way they crunch between my teeth.” I don't think they're that crunchy for what it's worth. I don't think they're that crunchy.

“Squirmed on the first two or three but after that they were a go-to snack. Even had trouble with the kids stealing them. Also, I think as an American we are sheltered from the fact that insects are really a normal and viable food source for most of the world. Glad I broke that barrier.” So if you guys try them you can be smug like this person.

And my favorite one-star review. “One star failed to meet my gustatory expectations. This is my first time trying edible insects and so far I'm very disappointed in the taste.” So up to you. So if you want to try insects, now is your chance. Come on up. Let me know what flavor you want.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, so now you have a cricket in front of you. What flavor did you choose?

Oliver:
I think I got smoked barbecue.

Anthony Godfrey:
Smoked barbecue.

Oliver:
I think so.

Anthony Godfrey:
And how about for you?

Millie:
The same.

Anthony Godfrey:
The same. Smoky barbecue. Okay. And you were the first to leap up when you had the opportunity to eat a cricket.

Oliver:
Okay. Last year I was given the opportunity also by Ms. Meng after she had the lesson with Ms. Anderson. I was given the opportunity, and I held it, and I chickened out, and I regret it. That I feel weak.

Anthony Godfrey;
This is your moment.

Oliver:
This is my moment to prove myself.

Anthony Godfrey:
To take care of those regrets.

Oliver:
Yeah. I'm just gonna do it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Alright. I'm glad that I'm here to see this progress.

Oliver:
We should do it together.

Millie:
I'm terrified.

Oliver:
Oh, I hate the way it feels.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now you’re doing it with a friend. Does it not even... Let's take a look here.

Oliver:
I'm taking the wings off. I don't care.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, well what if the wings have all the flavor?

Millie:
They feel weird.

Oliver:
Yeah, what if?

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay.

Oliver:
I'm going full-on.

Anthony Godfrey:
You're going with the wings.

Oliver:
Um, yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh wow. There's quite a nice pattern on that.

Oliver:
Yeah, it's pretty. I feel like... Hold on. Can I go get my water really fast?

Anthony Godfrey:
I think that's a good idea. Okay. Are you gonna do it together?

Oliver:
Do you want to do it together?

Millie:
Okay. Okay.

Anthony Godfrey:
Do you want me to give you a count?

Oliver:
Let's do it. Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Is it on three?

Oliver:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
When I say three, then you pop it in your mouth. Right?

Millie:
Oh, I'm shaking.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. Okay. Here you go. Ready? One, two, three. Okay. You're chewing. It's in.

Oliver:
That was like... That was fine.

Anthony Godfrey:
How is it?

Millie:
It was fine.

Anthony Godfrey:
Smoky barbecue. You didn't even reach for your water right away.

Oliver:
I'm so dramatic.

Millie:
Wait.

Anthony Godfrey:
Uh oh.

Oliver:
This was a...

Anthony Godfrey:
A little bit of an aftertaste. Was there a wave?

Millie:
That's so bad.

Oliver:
Okay, I won’t lie. That was... I was being dramatic.

Anthony Godfrey:
Is it impactful? It's not as bad as you thought.

Oliver:
It tastes like... I don't know, crackers. That's what I...

Anthony Godfrey:
Crackers? Okay.

Millie:
That's disgusting.

Oliver:
It was fine. The texture isn't that bad.

Anthony Godfrey:
You’re having different reactions.

Oliver:
It's just the seeing it. Honestly. Just the knowing that it's a bug. Cause if I see a video of live bugs, uh uh.

Anthony Godfrey:
It got inside your head a little bit.

Oliver:
But now it's fine.

Millie:
It’s so gross.

Oliver:
I still don't think I would eat like, I don't know, a caterpillar. No thanks. But this is fine.

Anthony Godfrey:
I think this is– It's a big step forward. You had a regret from last year-

Oliver:
Maybe I would eat a tarantula.

Anthony Godfrey:
This is a good pattern for life. You have a regret and you correct.

Oliver:
Maybe I'll become a... like only bugs. Maybe I'll only eat bugs from now on.

Anthony Godfrey:
Only bugs. This could be the first step of a long journey.

Oliver:
Yeah. Maybe. I'll be as smug as that one review.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, tell me your names.

Millie:
I'm Millie.

Oliver:
I'm Oliver.

Anthony Godfrey:
And what have you learned today from this lesson and from trying the bug?

Millie:
Lots of people eat bugs, more than I thought.

Oliver:
I also learned along with this and my weakness of last year that it's... If you get it in your head and just like... It's more scary to wait than to just do it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Just dive in. Get after it.

Oliver:
Just, you know, like even that one second of, you know what? Just immediately. Take it, go, and then it's fine.

Anthony Godfrey:
So maybe the anticipation–

Oliver:
The anticipation is so much worse.

Anthony Godfrey:
–is worse than the experience itself. Now, it wasn't as tasty for you.

Millie:
It was really bad.

Anthony Godfrey:
You don't regret doing it?

Millie:
Yeah–

Oliver:
I would get more.

Millie:
–cause now I don't have to do it again.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you won't have a year of regret that has to be corrected.

Oliver:
I would happily go get more. Like a full 10.

Millie:
Go do it.

Anthony Godfrey:
If you keep addressing regrets as quickly through the rest of your life as you have today, I think you're going to be in great shape for a long time. Well, well done. I admire you both. Bravo.

Millie and Oliver:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
We've got a couple more who have chosen the cricket. Now, tell me what you have. Are these ants right here?

Student:
Yes, they're ants.

Antony Godfrey:
Okay. Are they crushed up a little bit?

Student:
I think so.

Anthony Godfrey:
So they're supposed to have a lemon zest to them is what I understand. So which are you going to try first? Are you going with the cricket or the ants?

Student:
I say the cricket.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, cricket first. What flavor did you choose?

Student:
Chili lime.

Anthony Godfrey:
Chili lime. Okay. I did a count for the other students. Do you want me to give you a count?

Student:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. On three. When I say three, the cricket goes in. Okay. Alright, here we go. One, two, three.

Student:
It's not very good.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, it's not very good.

Student:
It's just, it's just weird.

Student:
It tastes fine.

Anthony Godfrey:
Is it more texture than flavor?

Student:
Yeah. Like when you first bite into it, it's super like crunchy and then it just like–

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. All right. You're going to wash it down with some lemon zesty ant, right?

Student:
And these like aren't flavored at all.

Anthony Godfrey:
So my name is Anthony. So I kind of feel a kinship here. All right. Let's see this happen right now. Do you want another count to three?

Students:
Yeah. Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. One, two, three. Oh wow. She just put her palm right up to her mouth to dump all the little ant parts in.

Student:
Oh, that's even worse. Ew. Oh, the ants are not good.

Student:
They taste like nothing, but they're really crunchy.

Student:
They're really strong.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, for you, they taste like nothing for you they're really strong.

Student:
They taste like lemon juice.

Anthony Godfrey:
Really? So you are experiencing that lemon zest flavor.

Student:
They kind of taste like lemon.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow.

Student:
They're just really crunchy and really tiny. So it's weird to me.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now tell me your names.

Morgan:
Morgan.

Anthony Godfrey:
Morgan.

Lila:
Lila.

Anthony Godfrey:
And Lila. Okay. So do you think you'll be eating crickets and ants again?

Student:
I would do it again.

Anthony Godfrey:
A cricket?

Student:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Maybe less so on the ants.

Student:
Yeah, probably.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right. So what have you learned today from the lesson and from trying some insects?

Student:
Um, that eating bugs, they want to try and get it more into diets because it's better for the environment and yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
But you're not fully on board yet.

Student:
Yeah. Well, I eat it again, but I don't think I'd eat it like every day as a diet.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. How about for you?

Student:
Same thing. Just like how we're trying to normalize it that people already do it daily.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. Okay. Well, great. Thanks for letting me witness this moment. This was important.

Student:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Good job. Congratulations.

Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, education is the most important thing you will do today. We'll see you out there.