Ray Mears Endorses Paleo aspect of RPD

[PaleoPhil]

I don't know how I missed this up to this point, as Ray's Bushcraft TV show is my favorite on the subject matter (and there are other goodies on related matters, like Bruce Parry's Tribe, another BBC program BTW).

The Ray Mears caveman diet
The survival expert Ray Mears tells why we should all be eating like our hunter-gatherer ancestors
Emma Smith
October 12, 2008
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/men/article4919415.ece
"We still have a Stone Age body. We have modern minds, but our brains and bodies still require the same food.”


Plus, Ray sometimes eats raw meats on his show, so his views come closer to RPD than most Westerners:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJlO0aifJxA


Though in the article he acknowledges that his actual diet includes a lot more cheating than would seem wise given his knowledge.

[raw]

very interesting video. we should definitely look for these worms for time to time and needed to consume them raw. is it in Africa? in north america, where we can find some worms to consume?

[PaleoPhil]

Witchetty grubs are in Australia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witchetty_grub but grubs exist in N. America too--just different species of moth larvae.

Bushcraft USA Forums > Skills > Hunting, Fishing & Gathering
Eating Grubs (for Real!)
http://bushcraftusa.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20093

The heads of large grubs tend to be too hard to chew well, so folks tend to bite those off before eating grubs.

[TylerDurden]

I wish I could get raw witchetty grubs in the UK. There are some sites offering things like insects but last I checked they were all precooked.

[Stig of the Dump]

I remember reading somewhere that the SAS eat worms on survival training in the UK.  Basically they dig them up, then fast them for a few days until they've stopped excreting soil.  (Same with eating snails safely, I believe - fast them until they stop excreting.)  Then, of course, they cook them and put them in soup.  One guy described worms as tasting like bacon rinds.  He said it was actually one of his favourite meals - to his wife's horror!

I suppose RPDers could fast them until they are empty of soil, then dry them out on a stone in the sun, and have them like beef jerky.

I also read in that Victorian book I mentioned on another thread about insects http://www.amazon.co.uk/Why-Not-Insects-Vincent-Holt/dp/0946014124/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1295356736&sr=8-1, that rustic old Victorian gardeners would pop certain grubs in their mouths and eat them as they dug them up.  (I can't remember which ones, but I've just repurchased the book (I gave the old one away), so maybe I can find out soon.)  Plus, when they were ill they would eat a live woodlouse rolled up in a ball, and call it a "pill".

[Stig of the Dump]

Just to add some detail, I think they fasted them in a jar, kept in the dark, with air holes and damp cotton wool/a rag to keep them alive, moist and comfortable.

[MaximilianKohler]

http://www.ted.com/talks/marcel_dicke_why_not_eat_insects.html

Yeah I've looked for insects/worms to eat before, they were all really expensive & I'm pretty sure also precooked.

Seems like insects should be much easier & cheaper to grow/breed organically. Maybe it's because they're such a rare item that they're currently so expensive.