not.in.this.life.ever.
A local place tried once but chickened out and now they say theyre going to try again
Actually the proprietor of this joint is a notorious media attention whore and this has the smell of another one of his flaky stunts I expect this all to fizzle out shortly especially once no one orders the crap.
So Dear Reader have you knowingly eaten insects?
I wouldn't expect the crickets would be a success in Canada, or anywher in Europe for that matter.
But, in SEAsia they're pretty common snacks, and come usually in two or three different versions. I'm not a connoisseur to tell the difference though.
They're pretty good, crunchy, although a little bit messy if you insist to eat them without legs, that tend to get stuck between your teeth.
Yes. Sago worms. They are the larvae of beetles that lay eggs in sago palms. The worms are about the size of your thumb. I ate them at a sago worm feast with the Korowai people of West Papua. The Korowai often eat them live just plucked out of the tree. They also cook them and make a sort of sago worm pizza using sago as the flour.
The ones I ate were cooked & served in a sort of satay sauce. They were sort of like escargot, but with nasty bits of cartilage.
1) Chapulines in Mexico, better known to English speakers as grasshoppers. They were very thoroughly mixed in with other ingredients in a Oaxacan play on a manicotti, so I couldn't even identify them by sight or texture, let alone taste.
2) Roasted crickets at the Insectarium in New Orleans. Nutty with a pleasing chewy/crunchy texture. I could imagine them being popular as bar snacks.
3) Crickets baked into chocolate chip cookies at the Insectarium in New Orleans. No noticeable taste; texture like puffed rice.
4) Roasted mealworms, dusted with chili seasoning at the Insectarium in New Orleans. Crunchy and spicy. These would make great bar snacks if the worms were a little bigger.
5) Deep-fried mealworms, rolled in powdered sugar, at the Insectarium in New Orleans. They were greasy and mushy...but I have to wonder if that was due to insufficiently heated oil.
I'd eat #1-4 again. I'd retry #5 to see if the cook had a bad day. And yes, I'm willing to try other insects (if they're not too spicy or greasy).
@nrclibn The insects you ate in New Orleans: is that a gimicky thing or is there any "local delicacy" angle to that? Just curious.
I remember reading "How to Eat Fried Worms" in school. Pretty funny but pretty gross.
Grasshoppers -- delicious. Mealworms -- yuck. If you go to the New Orleans Insectarium (sp?) behind the cafe is a small area where you can sample what they have. The kids love it.
I would eat them if I had to or if they are crunchy. Gooey insects no. Live, no.
@spooner: I think it's intended to be another gently educational child-friendly exhibit. All of the insect goodies are free. (Actually, I suppose you pay for them by dint of paying admission.) But no, the sugared fried worms were not billed as "worm beignets," and there was no insect etouffee or gumbo.
