Eating bugs....protein or gross?

One day my kids and I went with another mom and her kids to the playground. Afterwards we were really hungry and we came over to my house and I made home made chicken fingers. I sliced fresh chicken breasts and dipped them in whipped eggs and bread crumbs and fried them up. We ate them all up and everyone wanted some more. I was making them when I noticed something was moving in the bread crumbs! They had bugs in them! Obviously, the first batch had them too. I was disgusted but didn't know what to do! I threw out the bread crumbs and made up the chicken fingers w/o crumbs and just said that I ran out. (now I always thoroughly check my bread crumbs, flour, grains, etc) I have NEVER told anyone this and it has 'bugged' me forever. Would you have told your guests they had just eaten bugs? Some countries eat bugs because they have protein in them. It has been over 20 years and I still think about this. Do you think I am nuerotic?

Um - protein or gross?  My answer would be both!

I wouldn't feel too bad about it, though.  No, I would not have told my guests.  What they don't know won't hurt them, I imagine.  Maybe that's not the "right" answer, but truly what I would have done.

There may be in the cup
A spider steeped, and one may drink, depart,
And yet partake no venom, for his knowledge
Is not infected: but if one present
Th' abhorred ingredient to his eye, make known
How he hath drunk, he cracks his gorge, his sides,
With violent hefts.

A Winter's Tale: William Shakespeare

Smart chap. In short... don't tell 'em about the spider (bug) and everyone's happy. Tell 'em they've drunk a spider and they'll throw up everywhere.

Original Post by claire480:

Some countries eat bugs because they have protein in them.

that's^ true - so you actually did them all a favour by bumping up their protein for the day - good job ; )

Seriously, I don't think I would have told them either AND, since 20 yrs have gone by, I think you can safely say it didn't hurt any of them.

Shrimps, lobsters & such are just bugs of the sea. It's fine.

You're not neurotic...yet.  Think about all the things you've eaten over the years, that you didn't know you'd eaten, that you wouldn't have eaten if you'd known.  How do you feel now? 

most people don't know, but a certain percentage of "bugs" are in flour, corn meal etc etc.  I saw a 20/20 or dateline, or show along that line that said that we get alot more " bugs" in our food than we know. It is not that people are being  negligent, but as with anything, some are going to slip through. I would not tell someone about it, it is not like it would make them sick or anything ( unless you did tell them).. I think anyone who cooks has had this happen to them at one time or another.  most of the time flour can have the larvae that has not hatch yet in it, sometimes they hatch after you get home and put it in your canister.  I keep my flour in the fridge as well as the corn meal, maybe there might be larvae, but I don't see it.  anyway keeping it in the fridge you won't see bugs anymore. and those bugs are harmless by the way....

oh yeah and there's this red dye made out of crushed beetles.

Don't you just hate it when that happens.