Creature 1262-Isolerix Mantis

[VilaWolf]

I saw the eggs and thought of dumplings or ruffle cut potato chips. I was expecting a food creature we rarely get those so I was excited. Not a fan of bugs but others are and this one is pretty so the bug fans will probably be looking for some as gifting season comes upon us.

But it's nice to see new creatures.

Technically still a food creature if you're brave enough
I have a feeling it tastes kinda funny, tho

As someone who eats bugs on occasion.... once they are baked they really don't have a taste. Baking dries them out so much there's almost nothing there.

Spoilered for those who'd rather not.

Spoiler

Just bits of crispy air with a slight crunch. Think a really very thin potato chip / crisp that has no seasoning. Cicadas taste a little bit like almonds, sometimes but not all of the time. Crickets, mealworms, grasshoppers and tarantulas you can buy with flavors like BBQ and cheddar cheese.

Protip: for the smaller bugs take the legs off by either shaking the package or tweezers. The legs getting stuck in the throat can psych you out and cause gagging far more than eating bugs in the first place can. If they are small enough, and you're nervous, take the legs off and it's best to swallow them hole. Tarantulas, Cicadas you do work up to, mentally, never go for the big bugs first. Work up chewing so you don't freak yourself out.

Honestly, once the mental hurdle is passed they aren't that bad. Really. It's like eating really "flat" tasting chips/crisps. A great source of protein, great for winning bets or getting 20 bucks off of a really freaked out friend. Also, dont eat poisonous bugs or poisonous parts of bugs. Dont eat the stinger, guys.

[Kestrad]

I saw the eggs and thought of dumplings or ruffle cut potato chips. I was expecting a food creature we rarely get those so I was excited. Not a fan of bugs but others are and this one is pretty so the bug fans will probably be looking for some as gifting season comes upon us.

But it's nice to see new creatures.

Technically still a food creature if you're brave enough
I have a feeling it tastes kinda funny, tho

As someone who eats bugs on occasion.... once they are baked they really don't have a taste. Baking dries them out so much there's almost nothing there.

Spoilered for those who'd rather not.

Spoiler

Just bits of crispy air with a slight crunch. Think a really very thin potato chip / crisp that has no seasoning. Cicadas taste a little bit like almonds, sometimes but not all of the time. Crickets, mealworms, grasshoppers and tarantulas you can buy with flavors like BBQ and cheddar cheese.

Protip: for the smaller bugs take the legs off by either shaking the package or tweezers. The legs getting stuck in the throat can psych you out and cause gagging far more than eating bugs in the first place can. If they are small enough, and you're nervous, take the legs off and it's best to swallow them hole. Tarantulas, Cicadas you do work up to, mentally, never go for the big bugs first. Work up chewing so you don't freak yourself out.

Honestly, once the mental hurdle is passed they aren't that bad. Really. It's like eating really "flat" tasting chips/crisps. A great source of protein, great for winning bets or getting 20 bucks off of a really freaked out friend. Also, dont eat poisonous bugs or poisonous parts of bugs. Dont eat the stinger, guys.

Spoiler

To add on to this, never, ever, ever eat slugs or snails or creatures of that family (uncooked - properly cooked snails are fine). They have horrifying parasites and you *will* die a slow and agonizing death. Just don't do it.

I worked in an insect lab and my professor would receive care packages from his parents in Japan with fried locusts sometimes! They were in some sort of teriyaki-like sauce and were actually really tasty, though the legs and antennae were less pleasant than the body. Really the insects were just a crispy conduit for the sauce. I got over the whole "I'm eating an insect" thing by showing up to a lab meeting late, being greeted by "Hey Kestrad, try an insect!" from my labmates as I walked in, and I just popped the dang thing into my mouth before I could think about it because sometimes I'm too stupid to back down from a challenge. They apparently weren't expecting me to just go for it because someone commented to the effect of "wtf, no hesitation" There were what I think were canned silkworm pupae at that lab meeting too, but those were much less tasty. Really bland - kind of like eating a large bean with a really tough skin and no flavoring.

I probably wouldn't eat a mealworm or grub or something like that today, especially uncooked and unseasoned, but I would happily eat more of those locusts.

...you know, I'll bet I could order them online these days. BRB checking

[Exxthus]

BUGGIES. Mantids a good. Very good. Thank you. I will collect many of them and they shall be the cause of much happiness.

MS needs MORE bugs.

i see you are also a user of taste


Edit: Crap, I missed the flood. I'll have to carefully fish to find the small friends. Wish me luck.

[GeistStorm]

As someone who eats bugs on occasion.... once they are baked they really don't have a taste. Baking dries them out so much there's almost nothing there.

Spoilered for those who'd rather not.

Spoiler

Just bits of crispy air with a slight crunch. Think a really very thin potato chip / crisp that has no seasoning. Cicadas taste a little bit like almonds, sometimes but not all of the time. Crickets, mealworms, grasshoppers and tarantulas you can buy with flavors like BBQ and cheddar cheese.

Protip: for the smaller bugs take the legs off by either shaking the package or tweezers. The legs getting stuck in the throat can psych you out and cause gagging far more than eating bugs in the first place can. If they are small enough, and you're nervous, take the legs off and it's best to swallow them hole. Tarantulas, Cicadas you do work up to, mentally, never go for the big bugs first. Work up chewing so you don't freak yourself out.

Honestly, once the mental hurdle is passed they aren't that bad. Really. It's like eating really "flat" tasting chips/crisps. A great source of protein, great for winning bets or getting 20 bucks off of a really freaked out friend. Also, dont eat poisonous bugs or poisonous parts of bugs. Dont eat the stinger, guys.

spoiler'd because it's rather offtopic...

Spoiler

realistically, insects & co. are a far more sustainable source of protein than what a goodly portion of the world's population eat now.
you need an ungawdly amount of land to raise beef or pork and like what, maybe a couple of acres with sheds to raise things like crickets?
we have so many people on the planet, that the poor old gal's being overburdened as it is.
personally, i'd love to see more options on the global menu (especially in the Northern Hemisphere!) that's less taxing on the planet and more capable of feeding the 7 billion+ humanoid pop.

the o.t. commentary aside, i think these are very lovely critters.
and as a kid of nature, most of these sorts of things are friends in my book. means i don't have to fight off pests as much. nor do i have to cope with the horrors of using unnatural stuff to rid my veggies of them either. snakes, frogs, mantis and all those loverly critters that make a diet of the critters that eat My food are welcome. (to a degree... no eating my pets please, or there Will be a problem.)
one question... or mayhaps it counts as a worry... the breeding of these lovelies... >>;;
uhm, they won't be true to IRL mantis i hope, yes?

[Atlantica]

There was no need to post this and poke the bear again.

[Reima]

Anyway, the day we get an orchid mantis I'll be really happy, even if I don't necessarily like bugs, I'll still collect and that'll be that. But orchid mantis are really cool and I love their look

[VilaWolf]

Don't take the bait.

[Sochitelya]

Y'all. No more arguing about bugs, please.

[Danafox]

All this drama and data is ignoring the one true #bugtruth and that's that every single creature on magistream is secretly a bug

So nice to see you around Daphnia! =) lol at #bugtruth have missed your humor

[Graveworm]

No bestiary entry for these yet?