September 19, 2011
COMPLETED!
I had been eager to make my way to BugFest for the last two years and finally made it this past Saturday. My whole reason for attending was for their Cafe Insecta for the express purpose of eating bugs. Local restaurants concocted dishes that included bugs as a major ingredient and, for the most part, crickets and mealworms factored heavily as the preferred bug to use (as you can see from the menu at the bottom of the post).
For whatever reason, I thought the bugs would be all chopped up in the dishes; that I wouldn’t really see them so it wouldn’t really be that big of a deal. So imagine my surprise when I got in line and saw the first dish with HUGE whole crickets, complete with wispy antennae, that looked like they had just been plucked out of the bushes.
Oh well, just mind over matter, I figured. I got one serving of everything except the chirps and salsa because that restaurant was just setting up when I came through the line. I sat down with my plate of food and figured it was best if I didn’t really think about it. After a few photos of the food and of me posing with the food, I just started shoveling it in.
The cricket jambalaya was fine, the crickets were just crunchy. The mealworm maque choux was fine too; the worms kinda being crunchy as well. There were some deep fried cajun crickets and they were kinda tasty.
The Thai jelly was, through appearance alone, the most unsettling. Translucent jasmine jelly that very clearly had gray-brown whole worms suspended throughout was not terribly appetizing. But, trying to just power through, I scooped up a cube of the jelly and popped it in my mouth. The jasmine flavor itself wasn’t great and then as I thoughtfully chewed, I realized that the texture was probably very similar to what worm would really feel like.
Close Up of Worm Jelly
And I gagged.
Like, full-wretch, had-to-fight-back-getting-sick-in-a-very-public-place, kind of gag. I closed my eyes, quickly swallowed, and reached for a carmel apple with worms. I (correctly) figured the apple and carmel taste would be the dominate taste and I could just concentrate on something else.
Oh, what I would have given for some water right about then.
I figured after eating about 5 whole crickets, and some very juicy worms, that was sufficient as completing this thing to do as done, so I didn’t clean my plate, leaving about half of what I had been given. I snatched my Mealworm & Chocolate Chip Cookie (the worms in THAT were all chopped up and you couldn’t see it or taste it, so it was just a yummy cookie) and nibbled on that as I walked around looking at some of the exhibits. I purposely didn’t go into the Museum to see the spiders, which meant I also missed other opportunities to eat more bugs (including chocolate covered ones) but I don’t feel that was any great sacrifice.
So…I ate bugs. Do I feel a need to do it again? Nope. Am I glad I did it? Yep.
Acro Café
Cricket & Crawfish Jambalaya
Mealworm Maque Choux
Market Restaurant
Chirps and Superworm Salsa
Spize Café
Cricket Costini with Thai Peanut Cream
Lemongrass Toasted Waxworm Spring Salad
Thai Villa
Chirping Chilli Sauce
Ice Age – Thai Jelly w/ Mealworms
Whole Foods Market
Mealworm & Chocolate Chip Cookies
Mealworm & Cricket Cranberry Chocolate Bark
Wow you are BRAVE!
OMG I don’t think I’d be able to complete this goal unless I had to do it to save my life. Seriously bugs FREAK. ME. OUT. Congrats on this goal, you’ve got some guts!!
Um….no thank you. Start that party without me. But I will bow at your feet.
You have guts for eating those. It reminds me of a time that I accidentaly ate bugs once. I poured myself a bowl of cereal and started eating. I just thought that the black specks were part of it. Then I looked closer and realized that they were just bugs that had got into the cereal box before I poured it. It was kinda gross. They certainly weren’t as big as the ones you were eating though.
THAT would definitely gross me out!
Dare devil! I’ve seen fried crickets, worms and scorpions here, but I was with a vegetarian friend at the time…otherwise, I would’ve tried it. Most people say their crunchy and just like chips. I’ve never seen those Thai jelly worms before…maybe it’s a local specialty. The cookies look interesting- I bet I’d eat it and like it until I know it’s worms inside.
PS. I’m so jealous you’ve been to those places in Belize and New Zealand.
A fried scorpion would kinda be cool…
This is deffinitely something I would love to try! Well done for at least trying everything and I’d like to say the menu sounds like something from the Rugrats.
Oh man, you are a brave lady. I used to watch Fear Factor and laugh at the people gagging on bugs, because what were a few bugs for the chance to win some big money? But looking at your plate, I don’t think I could have done it. Even for money. Congrats to you!
I think I would have tried just about everything EXCEPT for the cricket jambalaya. It really does look like they just plucked it from the bushes! The cookie looks good…do you know if Whole Foods normally sells it in their stores?
I don’t think so. I THINK it was made special for the BugFest but I guess you could always ask! Good source of protein I guess!
Wow, I am speechless. I would not be able to swallow any of those unless my life depended on it. You are brave my friend.
Wow! I am still compiling my own bucket list, but dining on bugs is not something I could do. Congrats on mastering this item on your bucket list.
You could totally go on survivor or the amazing race now! I’ve tasted many many things in my life that I wish I hadn’t, but I’m so terrified of bugs in general (seriously my screaming about spiders is legendary), I don’t think I could do it. You’re seriously my hero.
You are a brave soldier. I don’t think I could do it. As much as I think I can try these sorts of foods, my sense of smell and texture would probably send me gagging.
The Thai jelly picture alone sends me thinking about hugging a toilet.
Yeah, the texture got to me a little. The legs of the crickets…a little icky. But hey, I’ll take the compliment coming from one our Country’s Heroes!