Unusual Protein

Just in case you think we may not be getting enough protein in our diet, you might want to hear my “breakfast” story.

We had been to PriceSavers (a membership store like Cosco) a couple of days earlier and I was really excited to have purchased a huge box of Honey Bunches of Oats cereal. It was delicious and I enjoyed my first serving on the morning after the purchase. Of course I wanted to keep them fresh and insect-free so I carefully closed the package and put it back in the cupboard.

The next morning I again decided to enjoy my new box of cereal. So, I got the box down, poured a generous bowl full, added the milk and started eating. It was delicious! While eating away… about half the bowl, I noticed a tiny ant crawling along the edge of the bowl. A bit disgusted, I brushed the ant off and continued with my delicious breakfast. Then I noticed another ant, and another, and another, all crawling on the edge of my bowl. These were very tiny, red ants… hard to see.

When I finally decided to look more closely, I discovered my bowl of cereal was literally swimming with little ants (half of which I had already eaten). I dumped the rest of the bowl and examined the rest of the box of cereal. It was teaming with little ants. Apparently they had discovered my cereal the night before and were enjoying a feast.

Needless to say, when we now open a box of cereal, we store the uneaten portion in the freezer. And we have had no problems since.

I guess since I didn’t get sick when I ate what must have been lots of ants, they must have been healthy to eat. I have heard of certain cultures that do eat ants regularly, I just don’t want to become one of them.