In some cultures, eating maggots is everyday fare. Cooking them rather than eating them raw kills the bacteria on the surface and makes them tastier, it’s been said. And deep fried, maybe like they do Buckeyes at the Ohio State Fair, just make them crunchy and nutty flavored, a bit like pork rinds , reviews of the tiny creatures—fly larva, really—note. And because maggots are fatty, bizarre food experts say they represent a good source of calories, in case you’re forced into survival mode.

But in the western world, and in heartland Ohio specifically, interaction between people and maggots […]