Is this the carmine beetle? Or maybe its the beetle used to make carmine red? Either way, blech! I am not going to think to much about it but it reminds me of that one skit from SNL in the 80's.

I think it was Dana Carvey who dies and meets God, asks him where stuff was that he lost, what was the most disgusting thing he had ever eaten. God told him he couldn't handle it so he asked for the 127th most disgusting thing (I think it was moth in potatoe salad or something) but you get my drift!

Yup. Carmine is produced from an extract of "scale insects" called cochineal. The dye is most usually labeled as Carmine, Cochineal, Crimson Lake, Natural Red 4, or E120, among other things.

This dye is not permitted by kosher laws and halal laws, and most vegetarians and vegans avoid it as well.

It is, however, natural, so some people who don't do artificial colors will be OK with this....

Then again, most of the colors we use to decorate are petroleum based and that is not so appetizing either. LOL! If anyone knows of kosher, natural colors that work, I'd love to hear about them!!!!!!

Maybe I shouldn't mention it, but to those of you getting grossed out by all of this:
you also realize that smells are particulate, don't you?

Try not to think of it next time you need to turn the fan on in the bathroom, pass by a cattle yard, etc.

i haven't eaten meat in 40 years but am aware that there are insect chunks in many things. it really doesn't "bug" me.
i have eaten lots of peanut butter sandwichs and i'm sure that "thorax of cockroach" was an ingredient in some of them.
the alternative is to give up peanut butter.
what!!!???!!!!!???!!!!

I had that happen before. Bugs were everywhere in the flour, so now I buy the tiny bag and keep it in the fridge. Also, grits are really bad with the eggs hatching! I keep that in the fridge too.

When you buy flour, put it in the freezer for 3 days.
Take it out of the original bag - bugs lay eggs in the glue of the paper bags. If put in an airtight container the bugs can't re-infest the flour.

When you put flour in the freezer it doesn't get hard and it doesn't draw moisture. I just put the bag inside a freezer bag or pour the contents into a freezer bag and put it in the freezer. There shouldn't be any moisture in your flour to begin with, that is what would make it harden.

Just an FYI, Boyajian makes a natural strawberry flavor that isn't colored, so it must not have bug particles in it (for the color, at least)

Yesterday I bought a box of Junior Mints to share with the kids. I had forgotten how much I like Junior Mints and so I told the kids about how there's an old story going around that they're made out of bugs, and how it's a little bit true because they've got confectioner's glaze on them. The kids call my bottle of confectioner's glaze bug juice so I knew they wouldn't eat the Junior Mints after that.

great idea! now i know how to keep a whole box of candy on my desk at the office undisturbed.
i'm going to tell them that bit o honey is made of camel snot!

ha ha ha you all are making me laugh too hard!!!