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BUGS | Movie Review – Tribeca Film Festival 2016

Bugs Image101
BUGS | 2016 Tribeca Film Festival

You are what you eat

Controversial, but not crazy. Cultural diets have been a topic with much debate, especially among those we deem a bit too extreme. What may seem wrong for us, works for others, and vice versa. For centuries it’s been this way. Who the hell are we to judge? Have you taken a look at what goes in our food industry? (That’s a whole other subject!)

However, Insects as food? Hmm…. Now that’s a hot topic. Particularly over the last few years since the UN (United Nations) recommended edible insects as a resource to fight world hunger. They’ve been praised by cooks for their unique taste, their low ecological impact by environmentalists, and for their nutritional value by public health scientists. That said, wouldn’t It seem that insects are the new wave of food that can help fix our problems of global food security?

Opening to the sound of whisking sets the kind of subject-matter about to be presented. Detailed to the core, BUGS pulls no punches on how far or deep man will go around the world to absorb as much as they can regarding a taboo’ish food-source that can stabilize so much. Exposing footage and study presented by a Copenhagen-based Nordic Food Lab team made up of chefs and researchers, its fundamentals lies within the two billion people who inhabit the planet and their successes as a result of already involving insects as a part of their daily diet.

From termite queens and desert-delicacy honey ants to venomous giant hornets and long-horned grasshoppers, the options are never-ending. Hey, truth be told, eating raw fish was huge a no-no in the west during the 90s. Now it’s become such a trend, it’s even sold in snack packs everywhere and anywhere food is found. Everyone has jumped on the sushi bandwagon. Why would insects be so different? We enjoy giant insects of the sea, why not those on land? Take away all the pizzazz about shell fish you’ve ever known and think of this: if you saw a crab crawl from underneath your fridge, would your first instinct be, “I gotta eat this!” (?)

By 2050 it’s estimated there will be nine billion people on earth, and expanding the food source to sustain the population, edible insects will be the food of future. That said, take a few deep breaths, open your mind, and let BUGS crawl their way up to your palate. You may view things differently.

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Grade: A / Genre: Documentary / Run Time: 1:20

Directed by: Andreas Johnsen

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwgbTaI_S0g[/embedyt]

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