In this interview, David Gracer helps us to better understand why for the western people is difficult to eat insects and what we can do to fight the "yuk-factor".
What amount of psychological work is needed to change our food habits?
"This question presents several problems.
The field of entomophagy has seen recent and encouraging technological and entrepreneurial developments, but other aspects of the subject remain unexplored.
It is very important that we acknowledge and discuss our own referential frames; this includes phrases such as our food habits, and the use of plural pronouns in general.
Entomophagy is definitely a global subject, and it is unlikely that everyone who reads these interviews was born in or currently resides in a country or region commonly referred to as Western.
My research includes material on insects, on human culture, and on attitudes regarding group-normative-behaviors. There is much more to say on these topics. Commercial and humanitarian agendas alike depend upon understanding people.
Many researchers have noted the intensity with which most people throughout the world prefer their inherited, group-normative food-sources.
Although some observers of the entomophagy industry might posit that the expansion of commercial entomophagy indicates societal shift in favor of entomophagy, this progress exists within strict limits because the consumers represent very small percentages of the population.
Technological and entrepreneurial progress does not necessarily lead to general acceptance. I have not seen commentary regarding criteria by which we could quantify the economic, humanitarian, and environmental potential of this industry; it would be wonderful to learn from sociologists, economists, and other researchers about these aspects."
