Only if he’s prepared.
To be fair, you’re imposing a taxonomical system on the ancients that had not been formulated yet. They also classified dolphins and whales as “fish,” not because they were stupid because they used a different set of definitions.
The explanation I’ve heard for the “four legged insect” thing is that they didn’t count the hopping legs as “crawling” legs.
Win.
FYI, locusts are also halal.
Pretty convenient when locusts periodically lay waste to vast swaths of crops and people face starvation or malnourishment as a result. Hey, guess what, we can eat those locusts! Whee!
Or he may have been eating seed pods.
Mangetout:
That’s the answer. Many English translations offered for Biblical species are not accurate and cannot be taken as (so to speak) gospel. The Jewish practice is to not to eat any species that we do not have a continued tradition of being Kosher. (The Kosher-status of the turkey was very controversial when it was first introduced to European Jews, and there are still a few sects that won’t eat it.)
Oh I realize this. My remarks were intended in a lighthearted vein. I think it was eminently wise of the ancients to adopt a systematic approach to their bug-eating.
No doubt this came in handy when encountering a stranger eating bugs in the wasteland. If they were just out there eating bugs willy-nilly, you’d know that they were just crazy. But if they were taking the proper time to classify their bugs beforehand, that would be a completely different story. Attention to detail is the key to a successful bug-eater. You’d know that such a fellow could be trusted. They might even ask you to help identify a particularly enigmatic bug. If you happened to be carrying any bugs yourself, you could trade. It was probably a social thing.
In fact, I’ve seen it done in Islamic parts of Africa. I’ve had a nice smoked locust offered to me, but I just… couldn’t. And actually, I learned afterwards that you shouldn’t eat them, because the swarms are often bombed with pesticides.
Are pesticides kosher?
(And, after the Batman bit, I gotta ask…are humans kosher?)
I was going to say it depends on how he was prepared.
Only if they have cloven hooves and chew their cud.
Humans are not specifically mentioned as being allowed or prohibited. However, the guidelines also stipulate that for mammals to be kosher they must be slaughtered in a prescribed manner. They cannot have died of natural causes, been killed by other animals or have any diseases. So the only way to prepare a human for consumption would be through murder which is of course strongly prohibited.
leviticus 11:22-23
these are the ones you may eat; the several kinds of migratory locust, solham, hargol, and hagab locust in their several kinds.
being a native of israel and seeming knowing of wilderness survival and the son of a high priest, i would hope he would know kosher locusts from non kosher.
there is an interesting tradition on the day his death is remembered. on that day you don’t eat off a plate, platter, or flat service. also any food that is round or refered to as a “head” is not eaten. this does present some challenges as that day is a strict fast day, no dairy, meat, olive oil, or shellfish (some will list any fish). jordan almonds are okay.
What religion does this?
I, for one, welcome our new insect hors d’œuvres…
Well, and further, their law REQUIRES them to eat non-kosher food if they will starve and that is all there is to eat. It is specifically written that way. I am not finding where it explains this, but I am sure someone else can find a link to post backing up my assertion if I cannot.
it is an odd tradition in the orthodox church. the strict fast rules for the day is universal throughout. the plates, round, head part are something that is an individual thing. some do, mostly older people who grew up with it, some don’t, think it is a bit much given the strict fast rules (dairy, meat, etc) and too “cutsy”.
One presumes chocolate covered grasshoppers to be dairy.
Ah, I see now! I was raised Roman Catholic and I don’t believe that’s a mainstream practice for us.
begbert2:
Depends what’s in them. Anything derived from animal matter would have to be looked into. I suspect that most modern pesticides are fully non-animal and raise no Kashrut questions.
As a matter of fact, they are, though the halachic issues regarding how you’d obtain one to eat render the question moot. Humans are considered to be of a different category of being than animals.
Zabali_Clawbane:
The Talmud derives it from Leviticus 18:5, “Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them.” That last phrase is taken to imply that one should live by the commandments and not die by them. (Babylonian Talmud, Yoma 85b)