Eating grubs: Better from the forest or the store?

The New Zealand Herald is reporting that hunter Brett Potter, 45, survived two nights in the Urewera Forest (with temperatures hovering around 5C) by sleeping in a hollow log and keeping his energy up by eating huhu grubs.

(According to this website, huhu grubs are high in fat and protein and taste like peanut butter when cooked.)

Potter got lost tracking a deer, but was carrying a survival blanket, flashlight, a firearm, map and compass. He also had two muesli bars. Potter was found after a 20 kilometre hike. After a good meal, he rejoined his group and continued the hunt.

I have read about the high protein content in bugs for many years, but am not sure how easily I could get them down — even if they were the only potential food source.

Last month the New York Times reported on the decision made by the owners of Netherlands chain store Sligro to market insects as a sustainable source of protein.

Options include mealworms, buffalo worms and locusts, some dipped in chocolate.

A portion of the article reads:

Dutch breeders of insects, who until now have supplied the market for pet food — insects for geckos and other lizards, salamanders, newts, frogs, birds or fish — have jumped at an opportunity to open a new market and have founded a trade organization to promote the idea. The government is backing them, and last year it appropriated $1.4 million for research into insects as food, to prepare legislation governing insect farms, health and safety standards, and marketing through retail outlets.

I imagine that even if you liked snacking on the store-bought bugs (I'm guessing they would be a bit crunchy), eating them live in the wild would still be a fairly unpleasant experience.

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Better from the forest, methinks. You just can't beat that freshness! They look pretty nasty to eat but it would beat starving. I have eaten some insects before (candy coated, weird stuff) and they were not too bad once you get over the thought of it being a bug.