Monday, June 02, 2008

Lesser of two weevils

There’s been talk about pests on people’s blogs before; rats and headlice have been mentioned. This morning I found weevils in my cereal. I think that’s what they are.

I come from a family who promoted such things as being ultimately healthy. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Dad promoted picking out the weevils/cutting the mould off the cheese or bread or jam and eating it anyway: ‘it won’t do you any harm’ was an oft heard saying in our home. Husband won’t eat cheese at my parents’ place after a particularly nasty anecdote which I refuse to share in public. He’s actually frightened of my Dad’s cheese plate; no, genuinely frightened. It’s quite understandable give the signs of life that have been spotted therein.

Once my Dad, a doctor, gave me some antibiotic eye cream for an eye infection I’d got. Towards the end of the treatment I discovered a paw print on the tube of the cream. Further examination saw the declaration: for animal use only. I must’ve been about 14 and I flounced into the kitchen brandishing my moral high ground in the same hand as the offending animal eye cream. Dad just chuckled ‘it’s gone, though, hasn’t it?’

So I stood in the kitchen this morning, looking at the weevily thing, wondering what to do. They look a bit like linseeds, do weevils, but linseeds don’t have legs and move about the nuts, seeds and grains. I wondered briefly if I picked out the moving ones and eat it anyway would I come to any harm. It might even increase my static iron count; I could probably do with the extra protein. But it was nearly the end of the packet, so I tipped it all into the bin and open up the new pack.

I had a quick check for blunt ended, moving linseeds and then mixed up my muesli with the natural yogurt and crab apple, thinking ‘oh well, it’ll give me something to blog about today.’ I came down to my office to eat my cereal and check out weevils on the internet.

Bugger, I really wish I’d waited until after breakfast.

10 comments:

Yvonne said...

Your dad sounds like mine, so impervious to my temper tantrums. I don't even want to know what a weevil is, but I love the pun in your title!

CL Taylor said...

My dad sounds like he's from similar stock to yours. To my dad 'best before date' is a con by the manufacturers and he'll eat it (whatever it may be: yoghurt, ham, bread, cereal...) as long as it's not mouldy and doesn't smell off! I think I've taken after him a bit. Yesterday I cut the mouldy bits off the cheese in the fridge and ate the rest. Am I grim?!

Rachel Green said...

We get weevils in the flour occasionally. I've no idea where they come from. I'm the only one in the house that will scrape the mould off something and eat it anyway. When i was a child we were too poor to throw half a jar of jam or a block of cheese away because it contained mould.

Sue Guiney said...

Yikes! Yuck! I'm squirming in my chair......

Lucy Diamond said...

"Oh well it'll give me something to blog about anyway" - !!! You are so hardcore, eating weevils for your blog!

Jenny Beattie said...

Ah, Yvonne I wish I could tell you I made it up. Husband told me it this morning, and apparently it's from Master and Commander! Too good not to steal though!

Calistro, that so is NOT grim. I do it too - the cheese is fine underneath. I'm a confirmed 'sniffer' too. When I open a bottle of milk I sniff it to make sure it's okay. At my parents' it often wasn't.

Rachel, I genuinely don't think it does us any harm - I wasn't keen on eating the weevils, but a bit of mould on jam or cheese? Nah - pussies not to scrap it off...

You're not into weevils, then Sue?

Sue, I'll be down the Cowboy eating grasshoppers next, won't I? Actually, no maybe not.

Flowerpot said...

Yes I rememmber that bit from master and commander - my husband has watched it about 25 times! I'm not squirmish but weevils - no, I wouldn't be that brave!

Zinnia Cyclamen said...

Eeeewwwwwwwwwww!

Jon M said...

Nothing like a bit of protein first thing...I think we fool ourselves over how pritine our food is. there are tolerance levels for all manner of things like insect parts and mouse droppings in many of the products we consume. Put marmite on them next time..actually I think i'd rather eat the weevils!

Carol said...

Not sure about the weevils but have to admit that I am a mould scraper too!! When it comes to food, the phrase 'Ach it will be fine' makes a regular appearance in our household!!

C x

PS. I did eat the bugs....silk worms and crickets!! The crickets were surprisingly nice (once you got over the fact that you were eating crickets) but the silk worms....eeeewwwwww