Customer Reviews

Man Eating Bugs: The Art and Science of Eating Insects

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book has always been a big hit with the numerous public school classes that visit our museum. I only have to hold it up to get a reaction, usually a groan, but it sure gets their attention. It also starts discussions and questions even when other parts of the presentation have not. The photos are great and add immensely to the charm of the book.

In general Peter Menzel and Faith D'Aluisio have written a book in "Man Eating Bugs: The Art and Science of Eating Insects" that is largely color photos. But what photos! Each present parts of a story involving the way various cultures employ insects in their cuisine. This brings up a question used by a much earlier author as a book title - "Why Not Eat Insects?" Many (but by no means all!) species of both insects and arachnids are as edible as the shrimp and crabs we Americans love to consume. We of course have to be cautious (not a good idea to eat cockroaches, despite some "reality" TV programs!), but there are a number of "safe" species that have been "taste tested" so to speak. In addition, we unwittingly consume tons of insects in various agricultural products simply because they pose no health hazard and are nearly impossible to remove.

If you have to deal with children in education or if you are just curious about what other cultures eat, this is a great book both to read and just to peruse. I would think that it would find its way to school libraries and to home schoolers lists of resources!

This is one of the most amazing books I've ever read. And I've read a *lot* of books!

Peter and Faith's commentary throughout their journey into the delights of bug-eating is intelligent, witty and so enticingly descriptive that you really will feel drawn to savouring deep fried tarantula and stink bug casserole...honestly!

The photography is phenomenal, and the intimate insight into cultures other than their own leaves me yearning for more by this couple. Very highly recommended!

A feast (or just a snack) of insects sounds almost revolting unless of course you deep fry them or place them in lollipops or my favorite barbecued. Whats not to love about straight from the earth cuisine which is actually considered delicacies in many countries. Menzel demonstrates that every continent gets enjoyment from tasty insect treats. But because Menzel is such an amazing photographer, its hard not to have your skin crawl when you see a girl eating a spider, or women eating grubs (look like albino catepillers), or the vast amounts of scorpions runnng aimlessly around a man's feet. I particularly think the roasted termites were very disturbing since they look like rat size roaches. I dont mean to sound childish, this book is much more then just unique cuisine, its another way that Menzel is making us globally aware of our neighbors. The photography is beautiful and vivid plus the paragraphs speaking of the insects and thier importance makes you feel a little respect for things we usually step on. Menzel is once again a genious and a little offbeat (in the best of ways) with this book.

Can you imagine putting Jon Krakauer, Julia Child, and the guy who wrote Men are From Mars, Women from Venus together in a blender and pouring the result into a book? I can't either, but I think if you could imagine it, it would be kind of like "Man Eating Bugs." Besides being a feast of 200+ amazing bizarro photos, the book is a convincing demonstration that some people will go to the ends of the earth to eat a tarantula the size of a dinner plate.

I saw this book in a nature store a couple of years ago and was immediately captivated by it's gorgeous photography and tasty subject matter. This is the ultimate "gross out" book for insect-haters and the ultimate insect-enlightenment book for bug-lovers. After reading this book, you'll see why so many other countries utilize insects as a food source and you may even wish that it was more accepted here in the US!(could entomophagy be the answer to many of our health problems?)
This book was chock-a-block full of facinating info about other cultures,customs,and cusine,as well as colorful photography and stories! I suggest it to everyone, even the insect-haters :) Maybe they'll develop a "taste" for it (haha)

Very well illustrated book but somehow not quite what I was looking for. Very colourful and easy reading though primarily about the authors experiences travelling around the world and descriptive about their environment. However I was hoping for a more informative book with less illustrations and more content whether that is nutritional content or actual information on the measures to breed/catch/prepare the food. All in all a nice overview of entomophagy with illustrations and ideal for younger readers.

Excellent full color photography. This could have been more indepth on recipes. There must be a lot more types of edible insects than what is shown here and some step by step meal preparation in full color would really help in rounding out this scratch on the surface edible insects. The book is more of a coffee table conversation piece than a chef's delight but what is presented here gives some insight into cultures and is far superior to any line drawing presentation.

I got interested in entomophagy (eating insects)when I found out that cicadas are ediible during the recent "invasion". I bought this book and was entranced by the beautiful photos, as well as the "point-counterpoint" comments by the authors, one of whom was considerably more enthusiastic than the other about the whole idea. This is a great glimpse of the eating of insects in almost all cultures except our own, and we're missing something by our squeamishness, believe me!

The book is always entertaining and opens a door to a world we may never have considered. Buy it! Read it!

A delightful book featuring an eight year on-again off-again survey of...BUGS ON THE DINNER PLATE! The authors search for insect eaters willing to be photographed with their cuisine and share their knowledge. The photos are plentiful and absolutely brilliant.

Peter alternates essays with Faith and is consistently more enthusiastic about experiencing every taste: "If day-old fried chicken had no bones, hair instead of feathers, and were the size of a newborn sparrow, they might taste like tarantula." Faith only ate a two inch piece of tarantula leg. Peter says Faith is a lightweight. "Big deal!" says Faith.

The South African ladies' lunch group was aghast when they heard about the Chinese, who eat raw scorpions with their stingers and poison sacs removed or stir-fried without the subtraction. "I wouldn't eat them," one of them said, as she downed her fried termites. Both groups would probably be repulsed by the New Guinea boys who eat raws grubs or roasted stink bugs for a mid-morning snack - or the Indonesian woman who likes cicada and says, "It's better than pig." What constitutes acceptable vs repulsive food seems to be a matter of locale and culture.

Obviously, our supermarkets are culturally limited, offering only a narrow slice of what world cuisine offers. The authors provide formal recipes for witchetty grub dip, fried water bugs with plum sauce, scorpion soup, grasshopper tacos, stink bug pate, mealworm spaghetti, and sundried mopane worms. Many simpler recipes may be gleaned from the text.

Peter Menzel is an award-winning photographer. Faith D'Aluisio, his wife, is an award winning TV news and documentary producer. The book covers trips to thirteen countries, mostly third-world - definitely a 5-star effort.

this book was a christmas present from a very understanding boyfriend, and is one of my favorite nonfiction books of all time! you get 2 different views on the eating of bugs, and tons of wonderful full color pictures. amazing stuff.