Fries with that?

There was an interesting AP article today about insects as food, titled: "Researchers say bugs could ease famine." It chronicles a U.N. sponsored meeting of scientists in Thailand, where they eat bugs as a regular part of the diet. When Sheri and I visited Thailand several years ago, I was amazed to see whole carts filled with crickets, meal worms, and water bugs. These critters were prepared in a variety of ways and proudly displayed as snacks. One vendor setup shop right in front of a McDonald's in Bangkok for those looking for true variety. Now, I'm an adventurous eater, but even I had a hard time imagining eating roaches. However, according to the article "1,400 species of insects and worms are eaten in almost 90 countries." Much of the focus of the investigations are on how to use insects as a dietary supplement as a way of overcoming world hunger. However, the scientists seemed to be thinking much farther outside of the box, one "Japanese scientist proposed bug farms on spacecraft to feed astronauts, noting that it would be more practical than raising cows or pigs." I can see that dealing with cow and pig manure in space would be a pain, but crickets just aren't a substitute for bacon!