I reread the thread. Some thoughts:
If there are six, there are four? Read it as “at least four”?
What makes you think bat would taste better than locust?
Also, locusts are largely lean protein. Maybe instead of spraying them, we should plant corn just to attract them.
Did you read the part where it was a four-year-old thread?
I realize that this is a zombie thread, but I had to comment on this, from Blake’s post:
It’s not true that the taboo on pigs is so restricted. The ancient Sumerians and Egyptians had similar taboos against pig, and eating pig is forbiddemn by the Koran as well. In other words, this is a well-established taboo in the Middle East. But not elsewhere – this suggests that either this is the result of cultural diffusion or of environmental conditions, and tilts toward the latter.
Pigs DO compete with people for food, despite Blake’s protestations. They can’t eat grasses, unlike non-taboo species like cattle, sheep, and goats. They prefer roots, nuts, and the like, but they’ll eat meat, too. There’s a reason people use [pigs to locate truffles – they like to eat them as much as people do.
Harris’ argument is that caring for pigs in the middle east required too much work to be worthwhile (the whole thing about pigs wallowing in mud) and used resources people would. Pigs were successful where you could either let them forage on their own where roots and tubers were plentiful or could feed them on plentiful waste, and where wallows wouldn’t be a problem. The Conquistadors brought pigs over and they were immensely successful foods sources for precisely that reason. Pigs (as Harris and others have pointed out) are immensely fecund, grow rapidly, and are about the most efficient converters of input to useful meat otr products. Harris’ discussion of the role of the pig in 8th and 19th century America is particularly appropriate – pigs were fattened before being taken to market on the corn that was grown. Back then transporting corn to market was the hassle. By converting it to pig you could have it walk itself to market. If you can afford it, pig is a good investrment in time and effort.
Harris’ argument is that, for many societires in the Middle East, pigs were NOT a good investment, although tempting. Hence the taboo.
Zombie locusts are definitely not kosher.
The (zombie) discussion is moot, isn’t it ?
I’m pretty sure Jews have a basic “you can eat treif when your life depends on it” rule/loophole. So even if locusts weren’t kosher (which, as has already been elucidated, they are), John the Baptist could have eaten them while travelling to preach, provided he was hungry and desperate enough. And I’d reckon traipsing around like a bum, being reduced to eating bugs and wild honey qualifies as “desperate”. He was basically starring in Survivor:Judea :p.
John the Baptist was running a mikvah.
He would’ve won, too, if he hadn’t lost his head toward the end of the season.
That would certainly put a different spin on Exodus 10.
People bring this up from time to time, but it seems like a late suggestion. Most scholars accept that he’s talking about the insect kind of locusts. Certainly the Greeks were known to eat locusts – Aristotle writes about it.
Greater than or equal to four legs good, two legs bad?
Then there should be no problem with Cambodian fried spiders being kosher, amirite?
NB: Do not click on the video link unless you have a strong stomach.
ETA - Gives me an idea for a story… Fried Black Spiders at the Phnom Penh Café. Nah… it would majorly bomb as a chick flick.
And he was so good at the water challenges and the “eating gross stuff” challenges, too. But they weren’t too big on [immunity] idols back in those days, so he didn’t stand much of a chance. I’m still thinking he banged that Christian chick from Texas, though. She really followed him around like he was some sort of Old Testament prophet or something.
Considering I’m the one who put the fork in it last time, yeah, I noticed it was a zombie. But since it had already shuffled back onto the front page, I used it as an excuse to add some stuff that I didn’t before.