fitfool ([info]fitfool) wrote in [info]food_porn,
@ 2008-04-09 21:44:00
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Eating Insects?
I want to try eating edible insects. Anyone know of any restaurants that prepare any insect dishes well? (particularly in the Boston or NYC area?) Have any of you tried insects, mealworms, or larvae before? What was it like?

Curious? Read more in my original post in my journal. I've included some links of what I've found online so far.

Photos
- Bugs you Can Eat - slideshow of 12 photos
- UglyFood - posts about Insects
- growabrain: Insect Eating Archives

Try some bugs
Boston:
- Tu Y Yo - Tacos de Chapulines (grasshopper tacos)

Los Angeles:
- Typhoon - insect section on their menu
- a review of going to Typhoon
- Guelaguetza - has chapulines (grasshoppers) in snacks
- one review of going to Guelaguetza (but they didn't try the insects)

New York City:
- La Esquina - has farm raised crickets? Some secret entrance
- Toloache - someone mentioned grasshopper tacos but I it on the menu
- Dos Caminos on Park - Salsa with grasshoppers

Mail-Order:
- HotLix - insect candy and snacks. I really want to try larvets and crickettes

(Post a new comment)


[info]anita_margarita
2008-04-10 02:46 am UTC (link)
My niece lived in Japan for a while and when she came home, she picked up some BBQ grasshoppers at a shop at the airport. I am afraid we ran out of wine before I had had enough to feel brave enough to try one, but my brother & a friend each ate one and reported they "weren't bad."

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]fitfool
2008-04-10 12:56 pm UTC (link)
cool...that sounds like the kind of snack I'd want to start out with. I imagine it would just be salty, crunchy with the grasshoppers themselves not contributing too much actual taste.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]12_drakon
2008-04-10 02:52 am UTC (link)
There is a museum in Raleigh, NC that holds an annual Bug Fest. Most of the dishes at the buffet there have various insects. They prepare about a dozen or so different foods, including termite cookies and larvae stew. I tried everything they had and it mostly was nice. Except for scorpions. If something is poisonous, tastes bad, has bad texture and burns your mouth as you try to swallow, maybe it's a warning you should not eat it :-) I told the people of my resulting stomach ache, and next year they did not have any scorpions there.

Here is their porn menu! Note shrimp and crawfish... distant crustacean relatives
http://www.bugfest.org/cafe.htm

Starters

* Buggy Bean Dip with Crackers
* Low Country Shrimp Dip

Main Courses

* Hoppin’ Hunan Stir-fry Grasshoppers over Rice
* Mealworms Marinara
* Creole Crawfish over Rice

Side Dishes

* Hush Grubbies
* Critter Fritters
* Waxworm and Watercress Salad

Desserts

* Wormy Watermelon & Mint
* Bug Bite Cookies
* Ants in Amber


(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]savage_sanity
2008-04-10 02:59 am UTC (link)
Yeah, I've been to that. Everything tasted kind of bland to me. :) But it was a cool experience. The only bug I refuse to eat is crickets because I love them, and I think they are cute. I've saved so many crickets from my house.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)
(no subject) - [info]12_drakon, 2008-04-10 03:24 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]fitfool, 2008-05-01 11:17 pm UTC

[info]fitfool
2008-04-10 12:57 pm UTC (link)
Neat. I'd like to go to a festival like that. I think I ran across that website when I was searching for bug food earlier.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]wasabirobot
2008-04-10 03:32 am UTC (link)
I ate some crickets in Thailand. I don't think they were very freshly cooked so I wasn't that impressed. My bf and I both ate a few, decided we had experienced the crickets, and gave the rest to a stray dog. There was too much good food to eat to fill up on stale crickets!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]fitfool
2008-04-10 12:57 pm UTC (link)
It's funny to me that you tried crickets and critiqued not the taste but the fact that it was stale :)

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)
(no subject) - [info]wasabirobot, 2008-04-10 01:33 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]fitfool, 2008-04-11 12:19 am UTC

[info]duckumu
2008-04-10 03:36 am UTC (link)
wow i've been to dos caminos but definitely did not see any grasshoppers on the menu! i wonder if they need to be specifically requested.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]fitfool
2008-04-10 12:58 pm UTC (link)
I only saw one item on the menu that had grasshoppers. The title of the dish was had the word chapulines in it. (How are people supposed to know Chapulines means grasshoppers?) It mentioned grasshoppers in the description of the dish. It's the first Starters item on the dinner menu online.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]gemfyre
2008-04-10 04:51 am UTC (link)
Apart from the countless flies I've accidently swallowed and the moths that have flown into stir fries and such, I think the only insect I've eaten is Witchety Grubs. I was kinda disappointed, I expected them to a be a lot bigger and they weren't cheap. So I felt ripped off, and I also felt the 4 bites worth that they were wasn't enough of a challenge. The taste was really pretty bland, maybe slightly nutty as people claim. I know have a certificate saying I ate Witchety Grubs though. I had a camel steak afterwards that was much tastier.

I'd like to try grasshoppers and spiders and stuff - I imagine it would taste pretty similar to crab and crayfish - they are pretty closely related.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]gemfyre
2008-04-10 04:52 am UTC (link)
Oh yes, and I used to have a recipe for mealworm pate. That would be interesting to try.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)
(no subject) - [info]jimothyrawks, 2008-04-10 06:31 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]gemfyre, 2008-04-11 12:46 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]ardor_patientia, 2008-04-10 03:55 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]fitfool, 2008-05-01 11:18 pm UTC

[info]fitfool
2008-04-10 12:59 pm UTC (link)
Neat. Where were you eating that they had things like grubs and camel on the menu?

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)
(no subject) - [info]gemfyre, 2008-04-10 01:53 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]fitfool, 2008-04-11 12:19 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]gemfyre, 2008-04-11 12:45 am UTC

[info]xiloxoch
2008-04-10 05:36 am UTC (link)
Tu Y Yo is so good. You should definitely go there for the chapulines as well as the chicken stuffed with black corn fungus. Actually everything is really delicious, get the hibiscus water and squash blossom quesadillas too.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]fitfool
2008-04-10 01:00 pm UTC (link)
Cool. I've heard good things about the food at Tu Y Yo. I figure if the chapulines freak me out too much we can eat the regular food. Thanks for the recommendations on dishes to try. black corn fungus sounds gross though...what's that like?

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)
(no subject) - [info]xiloxoch, 2008-04-10 04:43 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]xbad_candy, 2008-04-10 05:38 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]fitfool, 2008-05-01 11:21 pm UTC

[info]88keys
2008-04-10 07:07 am UTC (link)
BBQ Larvets are good.

Also, the cricket or scorpion lollipops are good,and those are fun to eat in public :).

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]fitfool
2008-04-10 01:00 pm UTC (link)
BBQ Larvets sounds good, doesn't it? I'm tempted to buy some to see what they're like.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]jeni
2008-04-10 07:26 am UTC (link)
I've eaten crickets, mealworms, and ants. Mealworms are bland, crickets are chewy, and ants tend to be a little spicy. Overall, once you get past the idea that you're noshing on something that most Americans wouldn't touch, they're pretty tasty.

The HotLix lollipops are really good (try the cinnamon cricket one!), and I bet the crickettes are downright tasty. I could go for some salt & vinegar crickets.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]fitfool
2008-04-10 01:01 pm UTC (link)
Where do you find all those things? I'm still nervous about trying them and think that having the insects properly prepared for me would help me enjoy the experience of eating them.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)
(no subject) - [info]jeni, 2008-04-10 03:48 pm UTC

[info]phxgreenfire
2008-04-10 12:40 pm UTC (link)
I saw someone in Bangkok selling fried emperor scorpions, amongst other things. After hearing the crunch when someone ate it I realized I just couldn't even try it.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]fitfool
2008-04-10 01:02 pm UTC (link)
I still think I might chicken out of trying the grasshopper tacos but I wonder if hearing the crunch might have had the opposite effect on me. I love fried, crispy, crunchy food usually after all.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]littlesable46
2008-04-10 12:52 pm UTC (link)
Ben eats those, so I don't have to.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]fitfool
2008-04-10 01:02 pm UTC (link)
Who's Ben and where's he getting his grub?

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)
(no subject) - [info]littlesable46, 2008-04-10 02:11 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]fitfool, 2008-05-01 11:21 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]xbad_candy, 2008-04-10 05:41 pm UTC

[info]badseed1980
2008-04-10 01:30 pm UTC (link)
If you're in the Boston area, I've sometimes seen HotLix stuff at Cardullo's in Harvard Square.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]fitfool
2008-04-11 12:18 am UTC (link)
Thanks for the tip! I wasn't having any luck looking for HotLix in Boston online.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]ardor_patientia
2008-04-10 03:52 pm UTC (link)
My husband volunteers at the inveterbrate exhibit at the national zoo (yeah, he's a bug keeper heh) and every year they have a big invertebrate party for all the volunteers and staff that is covered dish (your dish must be invetebrate themed--lots of seafood!) and the piece de resistance is some sort of bug.

This year's special was fried meal worms. They were pretty good, especially dipped in garlic butter or chocolate. They were sort of nutty and nonsubstantial.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]fitfool
2008-05-01 11:22 pm UTC (link)
oh neat. Fried meal worms dipped in garlic butter sounds really good to me. Thanks for the idea! Now I just need to find a place to get meal worms from.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]blueyz72
2008-04-10 10:49 pm UTC (link)
Lol, after watching enough Bizarre Foods I have given this some thought as well (and since I doubt there are mnay places in CT, NY is my closest guess of finding this).

I'm interested to see what is posted, but if the HotLix is what I think they are...don't bother. The candy itself was pretty nasty.

For me the insects would have to be something crunchy, it's a textural thing!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]fitfool
2008-05-01 11:23 pm UTC (link)
I did end up trying the bugs. Did you see my follow-up post? I liked the crunchy ones the best too :)

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]missloo12
2008-06-25 10:08 pm UTC (link)
Aw.. Hotlix is my Uncle's company! :) Family events over here are interesting. I had to eat a chocolate/worm covered banana one Christmas. I don't really care for them myself.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]fitfool
2008-06-25 11:02 pm UTC (link)
cool. So how did you find this post? I tried the salt-n-vinegar crickets with my boyfriend and we like them a lot but can't find anyone selling them in larger sizes. Ask your uncle if they sell them in packages of more than a tiny handful of crickets at a time. The larvets we tried weren't all that exciting though.

I scanned through your journal/profile. Hooray for you for doing the 24-hour swing dance fundraiser and congrats on graduating. I'm adding your journal though my reading and commenting has been kind of sporadic.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)
(no subject) - [info]missloo12, 2008-06-25 11:18 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]fitfool, 2008-07-02 03:10 am UTC

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