THE GATEWAY BUG
A PANEL ON EDIBLE INSECTS
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 26 - NOON - SADOVE CONFERENCE ROOM
REGISTER HERE TO ENSURE A SEAT
A panel exploring the issues in, reasons for, and practice of entomophagy, from the perspectives of those involved in the growing industry and academicians. The loose topic is "The Gateway Bug": crickets. Beyond simply asking why eat insects, we will ask, why crickets? What makes an effective gateway to a new way (for many Westerners) of looking at food--especially from something that provokes disgust?
Lunch will be provided. The main courses will be vegan and insect free; edible insects will be available on the side for those interested. Find on Facebook > >
PANELIST INFO
Big Cricket Farms
Started in April 2014, this innovative Youngstown, Ohio farm recognizes the strong connections between ecology, community, and well-being. They describe themselves as "the first urban cricket farm in America devoted exclusively to raising human-grade entomophagical products," with a mission to "deliver high-quality sustainable protein to a world facing ever-increasing food shortages." More > >
Critter Bitters
Recently founded by Julia Plevin and Lucy Knops, Critter Bitters aims to "encourage conversation around the important issues of today": namely, the ecologic impact of our food. Their cocktail bitters, made from roasted cricket, come in four flavors, from Vanilla to Pure Cricket, and provide a fun and palatable way to enter into entomophagy. Critter Bitters is run from Brooklyn, NYC. More > >
Ernest Williams, Professor Emeritus of Biology
Through field work in New York, Wyoming and Mexico, and in collaboration with Hamilton students, Ernest Williams studies the population biology, chemical ecology, and conservation of butterflies. His most recent book is The Nature Handbook: A Guide to Observing the Great Outdoors, which is a field guide to patterns in nature and was released in 2005 by Oxford University Press. He is also co-author of The Stokes Butterfly Book, published by Little, Brown and Co., and editor and co-author of A Marsh for all Seasons, published locally by the Utica Marsh Council. His recent publications have appeared in Journal of Insect Conservation, Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society, the Journal of Animal Ecology, Resoration Ecology, The Journal of Biogeography, and American Butterflies.
Alex Plakias, Professor of Philosophy
Originally from New York City, Plakias graduated from Hamilton College in 2002 before moving to Santa Cruz, where she received an MA from the University of California. She then completed her Ph.D. at the University of Michigan, and spent two years as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Aberdeen, in Scotland. Her research focuses on issues in moral psychology, such as the role of evolution and culture in our moral values; she has also written on moral relativism, and on the role of empirical research in philosophical theorizing. She approaches entomophagy from the philosophy of disgust.