I know that people eat insects in Asia and stuff and that they are actually good for you, but people don't really do that here. Most people here would find it really gross. They could have addressed why everyone at the party was eating bugs. It seemed like that was all they were serving. They did not explain why Mark Ruffalo's friends apparently all eat insects. I've never seen insects served anywhere. They presented it as if it was normal. I don't get it.
shareGastronomy.
The guy that brought the bugs says, "my fellow gastronauts..."
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastronomy
Because the writer wrote preposterous script and dialogues. This is an awful movie.
shareHe's big into ecology and saving the world, and one of the biggest ways we can take pressure off of the environment is to eat insects. They are abundant, they reproduce & mature quickly, and they don't leave a large footprint they way most livestock does.
shareMaybe the director is into it ... but this is New York, isn't it? Anything goes ... and people tend to be more experimental here. Besides, it could be symbolic of Adam's character of going to extremes. And it might also be a "healthier" outlet for any of his weirdness.
shareYou are correct in that it is absolutely not normal, at least anywhere but cosmopolitan cities ... and even there, I doubt it has much cred. The things probably can be quite tasty ... it was interesting that they ate them in some sort of wrap, and probably dipped them, too, as if to hide them ... but I don't think I'd wish to try it.
When I was a child, there was quite a stir for a while in my second- or third-grade class because there was some sort of new fad where people could buy chocolate-covered ants. I think the kids spoke of cockroaches, too, although that stretched credulity. Down here in Florida, I find dates, when they're sold still with that little hard nub on the end that you break off before use, to quite resemble the large American cockroach. This did not go over well once when I mentioned that just before serving a date bar I make :)
At serving time he refers to his guests as "Gastronauts" so it's likely to be a gathering for the club of adventurous eaters. You can find them by that name in NYC, SF, or LA. Eating "not-normal" cuisine is what they do and insects are about as challenging as most people want to get. It's a staple for Gastronauts. As you note, insects are actually good for you but they also have the advantage that since the Gastronaut club is mainly for meeting adventurous singles, you won't be weighed down by a heavy meal.
shareBecause they're *beep*
Rich *beep* who eat bugs to prove how hip and with it they are.
I want to punch them all in the face.
Rule #1 in rom coms - make us like your characters, not look at them as weird, inaccessible idiots who equate eating crickets with 'saving the world'.