In T.C. Boyle's Blue Skies, environmentally conscious Ottilie tries her hand at raising her own livestock—not chickens or pigs, but crickets. In Western society today, people often react with horror at the idea of eating insects, but there are advantages to including them in your diet. Many insects are an excellent source of important nutrients, including protein, fats and various vitamins. They are a more sustainable source of these nutrients than more commonly consumed animal products such as beef, pork and chicken, because they require less land and produce fewer pollutants for the same amount of food.

Our aversion to eating insects is cultural, not innate; roughly two billion people around the world regularly eat insects. Termites are commonly eaten in Africa and Australia. They have a higher protein content than beef, and the queens are also high in fat. Locusts and other grasshoppers are also commonly eaten in Africa and Asia. Many types of larvae, including caterpillars...