Entovegan: Evaluating the Potential Hopping Success or Bust in the Discourse of Foodways

Entovegan: Evaluating the Potential Hopping Success or Bust in the Discourse of Foodways

Julie Julison

This paper examines through discourse analysis the perceptions of vegetarians and vegans on the consumption of edible insects being added into their diets by observing the type of word choice, and tone of the verbiage being presented within recorded interviews and written materials to determine if insects could be on the proverbial menu. The research investigates peer-reviewed literature on topics that constitute the majority of fundamental reasons vegetarians and vegans choose the lifestyle that they do, and how edible insects could fit into this ideology. These include conscious food choices to refrain from eating meat products due to the unsustainability of large-scale industrial factory farming; those who oppose any type of cruelty to animals; or those who are looking for healthier alternatives for their bodies. Each distinct situation is evaluated contextually to provide an alternative on how edible insects would fulfill this niche while not allowing vegetarians and vegans to compromise any of their values or beliefs. In addition, a common theme that repeats over and over for vegetarians, vegans, and those who engage in entomophagy is a constant and continually negative judgment of the lifestyle choices that each chooses by the dominant group of omnivore consumers.