39: Edible Insects and Human Evolution with Dr. Julie Lesnik
AnthroDish26 Maalis 2019

39: Edible Insects and Human Evolution with Dr. Julie Lesnik

Why do some cultures get squeamish at the idea of eating bugs when other cultures use them as dietary staples? There are a lot of biases, particularly for Western folks, about what animals are and are not edible, and my guest this week, Dr. Julie Lesnik, is here to unpack these cultural attitudes around edible insects!

Julie is from Wayne State University in Detroit Michigan and researches the evolution of the human diet. She focuses particularly on the role of insects as food. She is the author of the book Edible Insects and Human Evolution and recently launched a fabulous and fun science communication channel on YouTube called Octopus & Ape. The show brings Julie's love of all things life-science outside of the classroom and to the broader public in a fun and informative way.

I'll admit going into this interview, I had a lot of biases around the idea of edible insects because of growing up as a Westerner, and Julie is great at pushing folks to think more about the powerful cultural, political, social, environmental dimensions to eating bugs. We also explore what she describes as the ugly history that Westerners have when it comes to their relationships with bugs, and she unpacks some of the harmful ways colonialism has influenced not just our own perspectives on edible insects, but negatively impacted other cultures to present day.

Check out the full episode in the player above, or download on any major podcasting platform!

Resources

Get Social with Dr. Lesnik!

Jaksot(185)

146: Flavour's Role in Food System Fixes with Franco Fubini

146: Flavour's Role in Food System Fixes with Franco Fubini

The idea of industrial food systems is flat, heavy, and feels complex to access. It brings up connotations of very bland, hyper-processed foods made to reach a large number of people at a low cost. Th...

12 Maalis 202536min

145: Exploring the Biodiversity of Climate-Smart Crops with Shreema Mehta

145: Exploring the Biodiversity of Climate-Smart Crops with Shreema Mehta

Industrial food systems tend to use mono-crop and unilinear approaches to supplying the Global North with food. But what happens when we consider more diverse crops? My guest today, Shreema Mehta, wil...

4 Maalis 202525min

144: The Rich History of Georgian Wines with Sarah May Grunwald

144: The Rich History of Georgian Wines with Sarah May Grunwald

When it comes to wine, I have a tendency to retreat and panic: I don't know anything, and I certainly don't feel like I have the means to access the knowledge. I often wonder if that's a common experi...

25 Helmi 202553min

143: Unpacking the Absent Food Citizen in Policy with Isabela Bonnevera

143: Unpacking the Absent Food Citizen in Policy with Isabela Bonnevera

This week, we're exploring the idea of the food citizen, or perhaps more accurately, the absent food citizen, with Isabela Bonnevera. Isabela is a doctoral researcher at ICTA-UAB, and engages with par...

18 Helmi 202539min

142: What Role Does Food Play in Fiction Writing? with Margaux Vialleron

142: What Role Does Food Play in Fiction Writing? with Margaux Vialleron

One of the most frustrating parts of watching Gossip Girl growing up was witnessing the elaborate breakfast spreads that the families had each morning, only for the main characters to grab a piece of ...

26 Marras 202432min

141: Uncovering Medieval Pictish Foodways through Paleobotany with Dr. Shalen Prado

141: Uncovering Medieval Pictish Foodways through Paleobotany with Dr. Shalen Prado

Oftentimes, when we think about plant-human relationships, we're thinking about our contemporary lives and how plants factor into it – be it North American plant-based diets or what we're growing in o...

19 Marras 202433min

140: Recovering from Restrictive Online Diet Myths with Dr. Sarah Ballantyne

140: Recovering from Restrictive Online Diet Myths with Dr. Sarah Ballantyne

Diet culture on the internet is excellent at sensationalizing our food to the point of panic. I'm sure many of you have seen the videos across TikTok and Instagram where someone positions themselves a...

12 Marras 202442min

139: What Makes for Good Food Policy? with Chef Joshna Maharaj

139: What Makes for Good Food Policy? with Chef Joshna Maharaj

One downside I find when I spend too much time on the internet is that there's an overwhelming viewpoint that the system is broken and there's not much we can do to change that – or that food, in gene...

5 Marras 202448min

Suosittua kategoriassa Yhteiskunta

sita
olipa-kerran-otsikko
ihme-ja-kumma
kaksi-aitia
siita-on-vaikea-puhua
i-dont-like-mondays
uutiscast
poks
gogin-ja-janin-maailmanhistoria
antin-palautepalvelu
kolme-kaannekohtaa
mamma-mia
rss-murhan-anatomia
yopuolen-tarinoita-2
aikalisa
loukussa
meidan-pitais-puhua
rss-palmujen-varjoissa
naakkavalta
ootsa-kuullut-tasta-2