I believed that peas were the pupa of something similar to a butterfly or a moth. I refused to eat peas for years because I felt so bad eating little baby critters. I think my aunt might've "encouraged" me to think that.
Had to watch a YouTube video about Metapod to know what you were talking about. I don't think Pokemon existed when I was a kid but Metapod isn't a million miles away from what I imagined.