Mm Mmm... Grasshoppers!

I had my first taste of grasshopper on a bus in Cambodia, somewhere between Battambang and the Thai border. Oh what a magical experience it was!

My seat neighbor was a generous woman who shared her snacks with me. The first bag 'o finger foods contained a coral-colored paste rolled up in a leaf. ...Okay, not bad... The second bag contained shiny, purple, blueberry-sized fruit with small pits, which had been prepared somehow with salt. ...Alright, could see how salt-lovers [Rebecca] could keep poppin' these babies... The third bag, was purchased during a short stop in a small town...

In typical fashion, the food vendors were ready and waiting for busloads of potential customers to roll through, holding their products up to the bus windows and pushing hard sales. My seat partner waved over a girl who carried a basket full of insects. A business transaction was made. And as my new friend reached over my lap and out the window to exchange currency for the goods, I prepared myself for the moment of truth. My friend opened this new bag, full of shiny copper-colored grasshoppers, and gestured for me to take one. And so I did. Their bodies were in such perfect condition. I wondered how they killed them without crushing legs or antennas. I suppose that they catch them in wire nets and dip them in the deep fryer. I watched the woman pop a whole bug in her mouth, chew it up and swallow--just like a potato chip. And so, I thought, "What the heck!" and followed suit.

And what do you know? They weren't bad at all! I actually preferred them to the first two bags of snacks. They reminded me of BBQ flavored chips, only with an aftertaste reminiscent of shrimp brains. Needless to say, I ate quite a few. Hee hee!

Hey, you can't knock it 'til you try it!