Three Harvard grads want you to taste something: crickets. And guess what? You might like them.
Rose Wang, Laura D’Asaro (pictured) and Merly Natow are the geniuses behind Chirps Chips, the first product from their company Six Foods, founded in 2013.
The crazy idea came about after Rose and Laura happened to try bugs dishes during their travels. After liking the taste, they did some research and realized that these little bugs actually have a lot of potential.
From health and environmental perspectives, crickets are a gold standard. Per pound, they use waaaaay less water than beef and have more protein and vitamins. Seems like a total winner, right? They thought so. So these young women ignored well-paying job offers and decided, instead, to rethink the America’s broken food system on their own terms.
The issue is Americans get pretty squicked out when it comes to eating creepy-crawlies. Sure, we had to come around to it too. But, the thing is, more than 2 billion people in the world eat bugs on a regular basis. Once you accept all six glorious legs, you may realize that these guys actually taste pretty good. Especially when they come in flavors like BBQ and Cheddar.
“I really love … how people’s psychology dictates their behavior, especially when it comes to the choices they make in terms of what they buy,” says Rose, who studied psychology. “We’re starting to see shifts in people’s minds.”
So, maybe try a bag and revel in the knowledge that (a) crickets taste good and (b) ideas that grow out of our accepted normal realities are the kinds that have the potential to fix broken systems. And that’s not nothing to go ick about.
Wanna read more about how Americans are working to fix our food system? You might like our story on ‘post-organic’ farming.
