After a long day under the beating sun, an ice cream might be a tempting treat. But would you be able to enjoy it if you knew it was made from insect "milk？" Gourmet Grubb, a food company, is hoping to use ice cream to introduce the public to the world of eating insects. Its ice cream uses EntoMilk, a dairy alterative made from insects known as the black solider fly, which is full of nutrients and friendly to farm and produce. "The ice cream flavors include chocolate, peanut butter and Christmas spices. We set out to change the way insects were seen, produced and used in the food industry, " said Leah Bessa, who co­founded Gourmet Grubb in 2017, "We were expecting a lot of push back. However, people said the first bite was not a taste of disgust but a pleasant surprise and they couldn't wait to have one more."

According to Bessa, EntoMilk has "a slightly taste of earth" and gives the ice cream "a rich, creamy taste". The insect "milk" ice cream is made with natural ingredients, such as raw honey, cocoa, spices and organic peanut butter. But it's not just about the taste — Bessa says the insect "milk" is also high in nutrients that are comparable to fish and meat like beef, chicken, and pork. EntoMilk is five times higher in protein than dairy.

"Insects need very little water, feed and space to grow, " Bessa explained, "They also produce little or no greenhouse gases compared to traditional livestock." Insects can be farmed indoors in small, controlled environments and they can be raised in urban areas, reducing the time of transporting the milk to the city. It also means they are less at risk of being impacted by outer climate patterns, which would affect cattle and crops. There is also potential for insect farming to reduce waste.

The United Nations predicts that the world will need to double food production to feed the global population by 2050 and has long promoted insect farming as a sustainable alternative protein source to traditional livestock. Although over 1, 900 insect species are estimated to be consumed by humans worldwide, insects are yet to reach the mainstream of Western cuisine.

I was out for an evening with a friend, getting the relief from pressure and catching up on our lives. We got around to the subject of books.

"When do you read?" My friend asked me. My mind took off on a fast journey through my bookshelves and piles of looks. I know some people make artsy towers and pyramids out of books, but I'm not that kind of woman. Mine are just…stacks (摞). Stacks on end tables, stacks on the floor.

When do I read? I read when I'm when I'm happy. I read when I'm bored. I read when I'm defeated. I read when I'm filled with anxiety. My self-medication for the thoughts is not exercise or alcohol, but Jane Austen. I absolutely must slow down the pace of my thoughts when living through a walk to the town Meryton in Pride and Prejudice. I read to visit places I'll never see in real life. Thank you, Vikram Seth, for making me completely involved in 1950s India. Thank you, Khaled Hosseini, for giving me a chance to see 1970s high society of New York City, I'll spend some time with Edith Wharton. I read when I'm recalling the good old days. Many of my favorite books of childhood are still my favorite books. I read when I get so addicted to an author that I want to read everything she has ever written, including her Christmas cards and grocery lists.

Of course, I didn't say any of these things to my friend. I stared at her with a blank, foolish look.

"When do I read?" I repeated.

"Yes. When do you find time?" she asked.

"When? Evenings. Bedtime. Dinnertime, if I'm eating alone. Sunday afternoons. Moments stolen here and there. And now if you'll excuse me, I have a date with Mr. Hemingway," I said.

I am a strong believer that if a child is raised with approval (认可) he learns to love himself and will be successful in his own way.

Several weeks ago, I was doing homework with my son in the third grade and he kept standing up from his chair. I kept asking him to sit down, telling him that he would concentrate (集中注意力) better. He sat but seconds later, as if he didn't even notice he was doing it, he got up again. I was getting angry, but then it hit me: I started noticing his answers were much quicker and right when he stood up. Could he concentrate better while standing up?

This made me start questioning myself and what I had been raised to believe. I grew up to believe that a quiet child was more likely to succeed. This child would have the ability to study hard, get good grades and become someone important in life. Kids that were active and loud would only be losers.

Now people perhaps come to realize that their kids are born with their own sets of DNA, and all they can do is loving and accepting them. As parents, throughout their growing years and beyond that, we need to guide them and help them find their way.

I have stopped asking my son to sit down and concentrate. Clearly, he is concentrating, just in his own way and not mine. We need to accept our kids, and their ways of doing things. There is nothing sweeter than seeing our children being themselves. It makes us happy and that's just the way I want my kids to live a happy life.