So there was this article in Science Magazine maybe a month ago about how insects are a great source of protein. And then I saw this travel piece on the Olympics in China and there were these guys selling barbecued meat on sticks, only some of the meats didn't look like any meat I'd ever seen. They looked more like really big fat earthworms. Just now I found an article on the benefits of bug eating.
It occurred to me that average Americans could probably save a whole lot of money (and we'd save billions of gallons in fuel costs) if people could learn to grow at least some of their own food.
Picture this:
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Walls in a "green room" outfitted with hydroponic growing stands. There could be tomatoes, leafy green type veggies, maybe some kinds of small fruits. The hydroponic stands could use rainwater collected from runoff from rooftops. Solar panels and mirrors could light the room from dawn to dusk and then power batteries for 24 hour lighting.
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Folks could grow grubs, earthworms and all kinds of insects in big fish tanks, feeding them with the leftovers from the day's meals and the cutaways from fruits and vegetables.
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People could use their lawns to plant vegetable gardens, planting larger fruits and veggies and trading with their neighbors.
In my mind, I see people growing most of what they eat, because they also eat less than we currently do.
Grossed out by the idea of eating bugs and earthworms? Frankly, so am I. But think of it this way - we'd be eating something we fed with our own hands. We'd know exactly how much antibiotic or whatever went into that grub. We could feed it organic food. Not only that, but since it's really hard to anthropomorphize an earthworm, we could still eat meat and not be made to feel guilty about it by holier than thou vegetarians.
Just a few thoughts on the way things might look in an alternate world. Maybe someday it will come to this.
