Next time you spot a spider in your drink at a restaurant, don’t be so quick to return your plate. Turns out, bugs are actually pretty delicious and good for you. More than 30 scientists got together at a conference in Thailand to talk about munching on insects. They say bugs could be a useful source of food and nutrients if there is some kind of emergency and Mom’s pantry full of canned foods won’t suffice.

There are around 14,000 species of bugs eaten mostly in Latin America, Asia and Africa. In America, we don’t eat bugs, not because they’re unhealthy, but because we have a cultural bias against them. Namely, we pretty much agree that bugs are icky. Nobody has higher authority on this than a three-year-old girl.

However, if you travel to Japan, you’ll find that some bugs are served on a silver platter, including wasp larvae, grasshoppers and silk moths. If you find yourself in Bali, you’ll be able to enjoy a scrumptious dragonfly – either grilled or boiled in garlic, ginger, shallots, chili pepper and coconut milk. If you tell me your hungry stomach didn’t rumble with excitement at the thought of garlic dragonfly, you are lying.

A big debate at the conference was how to transfer bug food to needy nations. One scientist suggested creating a bug meal and making cookies or cakes out of them. That is a brilliant idea. Chocolate, walnuts and crickets all in the same bite. Eat up, kids!