bugs.... am i just a *****? :P

[rxcats]

Originally Posted by FLMountainMan

Two of my roommates in law school were really sheltered kids from Miami. One day I was taking out the garbage and noticed a dead possum in the garbage can. I commented on it to one of my roommates and he said he had heard it rustling around in there three days ago. When asked why he didn't just tip over the can, thereby freeing the oppossum, he said "I don't go near those ******* things".
So, I dug a hole in the backyard and dumped the possum in there and started to bury him. The bastard waited until the first shovelful of dirt fell on top of him, then jumped up and ran AT my legs. I jumped over it and he kep running away.

Possums are kind of creepy.

That is were the phrase "playing possum" comes from.

My parents have opossums in their backyard. They seem to love the cat food that they put out for their cats. The raccoons do too. My parents go through lots of cat food!

 

[Saucemaster]

Something about the multiple long legs of spiders, and the way they move, is creepy as hell, but I wouldn't say that they scare me, per se. I'm not fond of them, but if I'm staying somewhere that has them, and they're not poisonous, I leave them around. Spiders > mosquitoes and flies for sure. I don't have a problem killing a spider, and they can actually be intriguing to watch sometimes. Other bugs don't really bother me at all. I can let a centipede crawl on my hand, for example, and it's a little bit unpleasant, but it's not a big deal.

Rats/mice/etc, I've never understood the reaction to these. The woman in the office next to me started screaming at the top of her lungs the other day because she HEARD a mouse somewhere in her office, or at least she thinks that's what she heard. I swear, my first thought was that she'd been stabbed. It sounded for all the world like she was in mortal peril. I had that adrenaline rush, fight/flight response and everything. It's a MOUSE. They're actually pretty cute, seriously.

I understand that they'd be disturbing in really large groups, though. But that's true of almost anything that small.

 

[lakewolf]

As Saucemaster said.

my only reaction is when the insect could be dangerous/poisonous like and scorpion for example, and when I know it is a dirty beast that lingers on sewers and dirt, like a coakroach or a rat.

 

[Tsintaosaurus]

some studies suggest that humans and animals evolved to fear spiders, snakes, etc. to protect themselves from potentially dangerous animals. we seem to be naturally programmed to recognize the shapes and appearances of these potentially dangerous animals, of which are triggers for fear. modern man, however, have largely learned how to overcome these fears through knowledge. i've had many a many arthropodic pet, but i'm still afraid of spiders (except for those cute, tiny jumping spiders). i also find snakes to be adorable.

 

[Tsintaosaurus]

the other humo(u)rous thing is how people crave for lobster but find the idea of eating a giant goliath beetle revolting. the two are quite similar in appearance, and the two are huge arthropods.

same interesting comparison between shrimp and grasshoppers, etc.


i think it's mostly knowledge/culture overriding human instincts.

 

[lakewolf]

Originally Posted by Tsintaosaurus

the other humo(u)rous thing is how people crave for lobster but find the idea of eating a giant goliath beetle revolting. the two are quite similar in appearance, and the two are huge arthropods.

same interesting comparison between shrimp and grasshoppers, etc.


i think it's mostly knowledge/culture overriding human instincts.

Exactly, this is what I posted before, about this american guy promoting the cockroach as a culinary delight.

He sustains that a cockroach is the terrestrial equivalent to the marine shrimp, so we could also eat it and enjoy it.

He has a cockroach farm and hosts conferences about how to cook it etc...

 

[Tsintaosaurus]

Originally Posted by lakewolf

Exactly, this is what I posted before, about this american guy promoting the cockroach as a culinary delight.

He sustains that a cockroach is the terrestrial equivalent to the marine shrimp, so we could also eat it and enjoy it.

He has a cockroach farm and hosts conferences about how to cook it etc...
the la cucaracha is definitely a better comparison, but i nonetheless refrained due to the stigmata attached to this six-legged fellow.

it is also worthy to note that it is only a small fraction of the diverse Blattodea cockroach order that can be considered pests or vectors of disease; the overwhelming majority are exceptionally clean and can only survive in the wild. that's probably why "fear factor" have contestants eat cockroaches - it's draws upon the public's misunderstanding of roaches, but for those in the know, madagascan hissing cockroaches are slow, clumsy, and clean.

i've eaten chocolate crickets without delay, but i'll still not eat spiders though lol. or centipedes. damn, that's another critter i'm afraid of.

 

[GQgeek]

Originally Posted by Tsintaosaurus

the la cucaracha is definitely a better comparison, but i nonetheless refrained due to the stigmata attached to this six-legged fellow.

it is also worthy to note that it is only a small fraction of the diverse Blattodea cockroach order that can be considered pests or vectors of disease; the overwhelming majority are exceptionally clean and can only survive in the wild. that's probably why "fear factor" have contestants eat cockroaches - it's draws upon the public's misunderstanding of roaches, but for those in the know, madagascan hissing cockroaches are slow, clumsy, and clean.

i've eaten chocolate crickets without delay, but i'll still not eat spiders though lol. or centipedes. damn, that's another critter i'm afraid of.


I think the fact that you have to cover them in chocolate to make them edible tells you something.

 

[Tsintaosaurus]

well, the story goes as follows:

one summer afternoon, i was hanging out with a lady friend at a Cold Stone, where they were offering free ice cream for anyone who was willing to try some chocolate covered crickets. i suppose this was like some dare or barter thing going on, but it was a win-win situation for me and a lose-lose situation for Cold Stone since it was FREE crickets AND FREE ice cream for me. the walking pair of boobs fake screamed as i eagerly chomped on #1, and to add fuel to the fire, i just as quickly requested another cricket, but one with the least amount of that brown crap. at the bottom of the pile was #2, whom somehow was able to avoid the chocolate rain but was not able to avoid being eaten.

moral of the story: eating crickets will get you laid.