Eating Bugs and other Creepy Crawlies
 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_hT5a9DSXCm...der-763445.jpg

Although I'm not from a insect/arachnid eating culture, as someone who works with insects, I've often been curious as to what it would be like. I've got some ingrained reservations about it, but they're not based on any rationality so I'm prepared to overcome it. I greatly enjoy eating edible crabs and shrimps and they're a bit like large insects, right?

So .. Who's had the pleasure of trying out this (to me) exotic snack and how was it?

I've never thought of crustaceans as insects, not once. The prospect of eating something that was alive, and gooey doesn't sound all that appealing to me. Every decade or so we get thousands and thousands of cicadas that come through my parts, and people grill them up, dry them out, fry them, or just eat them raw. I might take a crack at an insect that was dried out, but even thinking about eating one raw makes me gag a bit.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ied_cicada.jpg

Deep-fried Cicada anyone?

i'm actually very interested to try it out

sad to say, there's no market for that here

i need to travel to Cambodia for that - it seems they have fried tarantulas, worms, and other assorted bugs and arachnids

Very interested in trying it as well. I might start with the particular creepy crawly that scares me the most – scorpion. In China, scorpion on a stick is common. In the United States, a few candy shops sell what are known as scorpion suckers. They're also for sale online.

http://store.padutchcandies.com/PROD...ON_SUCKERS.JPG

The concept, essentially, is a scorpion sealed in candy coating. Strikes me more as a novelty than anything, the taste probably comes second to the fact that you're eating a lolly with a scorpion in it.

The picture in the OP will haunt my nightmares.

Cicadas look like something I would've tried actually. About crustaceans, there are a few terrestrial isopods, called woodlice, which people often belive are bugs, despite the fact they lack the typical characteristics like 6 legs. According to the guys in this video, they taste a bit like prawns.



Scorpions do seem quite popular in that I've often seen people eat them on the telly, typically scorpions-on-a-stick from chinese markets. I've wondered if people remove the stinger before they eat them, but those in the lollies seem to have theirs intact. Can't they poke your tongue?

Nevertheless, I'd be happy to try a scorpion.

I disected a cockroach once and I was surprised at how fatty it was. Basically, its guts were just a bit of intestine going through a big chunk of white fat. So, since fat is rich in energy, I figured cockroaches could be regarded high quality food ;) at least the ones we were working on!

Eeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!! Stop posting pics! I can't even read the posts without wanting to vomit! *urp*

I've wondered this. Scorpion stings hurt quite a bit (I've gotten stung in the genitals once) and I'd hate to feel that stinger on my tongue, sexual innuendos aside.

For me, cockroaches simply wouldn't be on the menu. For one, I am deathly afraid of the things. I won't even kill them, they frighten me too much. It's strange considering they can't even bite, or atleast they don't intend to. Second, they're generally considered to be "unclean" bugs. Most people consider them filthy and disease ridden. True or not, I doubt I could get over my cockroach stigma.

I read that maggots taste of whatever you feed them.