Virginia Loh-Hagan - Weird Food

Published in the United States of America by Cherry Lake Publishing
Ann Arbor, Michigan
www.cherrylakepublishing.com

Reading Adviser: Marla Conn MS, Ed., Literacy specialist, Read-Ability, Inc.
Book Designer: Melinda Millward

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Copyright 2018 by Cherry Lake Publishing

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized
in any form or by any means without written permission from the publisher.

45th Parallel Press is an imprint of Cherry Lake Publishing.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Loh-Hagan, Virginia, author.
Title: Weird food / by Virginia Loh-Hagan.
Description: Ann Arbor : Cherry Lake Publishing, 2017. | Series: Stranger than fiction | Includes bibliographical
references and index. | Audience: Grades 4 to 6.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017001049| ISBN 9781634728874 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781634729765 (pdf) |
ISBN 9781534100657 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781534101548 (hosted ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Food--Juvenile literature. | Food habits--Miscellanea--Juvenile literature. |
Eccentrics and eccentricities--Juvenile literature.
Classification: LCC TX355 .L66 2017 | DDC 641.3--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017001049

Printed in the United States of America
Corporate Graphics

About the Author

Dr. Virginia Loh-Hagan is an author, university professor, former classroom teacher, and
curriculum designer. She loves food. The strangest thing shes ever eaten is snails. She
lives in San Diego with her very tall husband and very naughty dogs.

Introduction

People eat all kinds of things. They eat to survive . Survive
means to stay alive. They need food. Food gives them energy.
Food builds muscles. Food keeps their organs working.
Food keeps them healthy. Food also makes some people
happy. They enjoy eating. They try new things. Other
people are picky. Theyre scared of anything different.
Theyd never eat anything strange.

Theres strange food. And then, theres really strange food.
Some people eat super strange food. Its so strange that its
hard to believe. It sounds like fiction. But these stories are
all true!

chapter one

Bugs

Two billion people around the world eat bugs. Some people
live in warm weather. Theyre more likely to eat bugs. Bugs
like warm weather. Beetles, caterpillars, bees, wasps, and ants
are the most popular.

Rose Wang and Laura DAsaro are Americans. They sell
food made from bugs. They grinded roasted crickets. They
combined them with bean flour. They made chips. They
called them Chirps.

Many people choose to eat bugs. Some
Thai people fry scorpions. Some

Some people farm bugs for food.

Mexicans dip locusts in chocolate. Some Chinese boil
water bugs. Some Ghanians bake termites into bread.

Many people dont choose to eat bugs. But they do. They
just dont know it. Americans eat 1 to 2 pounds (0.5 to 1
kilogram) of bugs every year.

A government group is in charge of food safety. It allows
bugs in our foods. But theres a rule. Bugs arent allowed to
affect how food looks.

Mites are tiny white bugs. Theyre in wheat and other
grains. Theyre in frozen vegetables. Fruit flies are in
canned fruit. Theyre in raisins. Bugs are everywhere.

Some experts think eating bugs is healthy.

Explained
by Science

Dr. Michael Levitt is a stomach doctor. He smells farts. He
sniffs out health problems. Bad farts smell like rotten eggs.
Too much of this smell is unhealthy. It could mean a disease.
He worked with 16 healthy people. The people ate beans. He
trapped their fart gas. He put it in containers. He collected
over 100 samples. Odor testers opened each container. They
smelled the fart gas. They judged each smell. Human
stomach smells are important. Farts have different smells.
They are bitter, savory, sweet, fishy, or meaty. A meaty smell
is bad. A fishy smell is bad. Farts are connected to what we
eat. Smelling farts is a science!

chapter two

Dirt

Some people eat dirt. They eat it raw. They cook it. They bake
it. Sera Young is an expert . She studies eating dirt. She said
Native Americans ate dirt.

Kaolin is white dirt. Its soft clay. Its chalky. Its used to make
paper and paint. Some pregnant women crave kaolin. Pregnant
means theyre carrying a baby. They may feel sick. They may
feel like throwing up. Eating clay makes them feel better. Clay
absorbs things. It draws out bad things. Some
think clay can get rid of poisons.

chapter three

Moving Octopus

Japanese and Koreans eat odori don . This is a special dish. Its
an octopus. The brain is removed. The octopus is dead. But
its fresh. Its placed on a dish.

People pour soy sauce on it. The octopus moves. It flaps its
tentacles . Tentacles are limbs. It looks like its escaping. The
octopus still has nerves. Soy sauce has salt. The salt triggers
the octopus.

The dish doesnt taste like anything. But
thats not why people eat it. Tentacles move
in peoples mouths. People like how this

People like knowing their food is fresh.

feels. Theres a bit of danger. Tentacles have sucking
cups. They can grab the inside of throats. This can
choke people.

chapter four

Rocky Mountain Oysters

Rocky Mountain oysters arent oysters. Theyre a bulls
private parts. Theyre peeled. Theyre dipped in flour. Theyre
salted. Theyre peppered. Theyre pounded flat. Finally, theyre
deep-fried. Theyre served with cocktail sauce.

Rocky Mountain oysters are popular in the American West.
Theyre also popular in western Canada. Theyre connected to
cattle farming. Cattle farmers often remove the bulls private
parts. They do this to tame the animals.
Tame means to train or control.

Rocky Mountain oysters can also come from bison, pigs, or sheep.

Cowboys ate these oysters a lot. They didnt waste any part
of animals. This strange food was cheap. It was healthy.

chapter five

Fruit Bats

Some Asians eat fruit bats. Fruit bats are known as chickens
of the cave.

Fruit bat soup comes from Guam. People catch the bat. They