Book Review – It’s Disgusting and We Ate It!

Some of us just can’t stomach the idea of eating Brussels sprouts, or beef cooked rare. But what about some of those other… delicacies? What is gross to one person may be a treat to another.

This is a very cute book about some of those differences.

It’s Disgusting and We Ate It! (True Food Facts From Around the World and Throughout History) by James Solheim

This book covers three different aspects of what people eat (and why). It starts off with “People Eat the Wildest Things” – some strange things that people still eat now.

It eases into things with frog legs. Most people have heard of eating frog legs! Each new food includes the countries where this delicacy is popular (Europe, America, and elsewhere, for this treat).

Along with a short poem about the food (edible flowers, of course!).

it includes other things like bugs, seaweed, sushi, and the Chinese delicacy bird’s nest soup.

And just in case you thought that was the end of the weird things that people eat, we get started with Part Two by looking at a table of ancient Chinese delicacies. Barbecued elephant’s trunk? Yum! (or maybe not…)

Part Two is “From Meatballs to Squirrel Stew” – weird foods (and meal plans) from history.

This section talks about things that we don’t so much eat anymore like woolly mammoth and rats.

Jokes like these are peppered throughout the book.

Part Two also talks about how royal families used to eat – very unbalanced meals with lots of meat and very little veggies.

Looking for some food facts? You’ll find these in here, too. Did you know that in 2000 pounds of spiders, there is over 1200 pounds of protein? Yuck. I’ll stick to my beef, thanks anyway.

Part Three is “If You Think That’s Sick, Look in Your Fridge” – things we eat now that have some unusual origins. This section talks about things like milk (that comes from cows), honey (made by bees), cheese (made from milk by bacteria), and mushrooms (fungus).

My only issue with this book was this picture. It makes it look like the cow eats the food, and that is turned into “waste,” or milk. The stomachs aren’t connected to the udder like this. It is true that the nutrients the cow takes in from the grass she eats are used to make milk. But this picture is a big oversimplification and misrepresentation of that.

Or maybe that’s just the vet in me. (Do me a favor, and check out my posts on dairy cows to see how cows really make milk. You’ll make me feel a whole lot better. Thanks!)

And to include a little geography lesson, the inside front and back covers are maps of the world. Of course, the main landmarks are the interesting dishes that are eaten in those areas.

And just in case you were left wanting more, there’s a “recommend reading” list at the end, with books for adults and kids. Books with titles like “Science Experiments You Can Eat.” Oh yes, I’ll be reviewing these!

“It’s Disgusting and We Ate It!” is recommended for ages 6 and up. Although if your kids are already picky eaters, you might want to hold off on this one for a little while.

So… have you ever eaten earthworms (not on a dare)?

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