Getting the Bugs Out

No, this is not about the three 4” cockroaches we killed on our first day in our apartment. Nor is it about the tiny ants that run amok over our sink and counter. Or the flies that we’ve seen clustering on raw chicken at the market.

It’s about fine dining.

On Saturday evening, Phil and I strolled down to Tawana Market to see what we might want to do for supper. It’s a bustling sidewalk plaza of  30 or so food booths, and behind it is a warehouse of market goods, a warren of shops that is any shopper’s dream. It really rocks on weekends.

Here is a sampling of the food on offer:

You can buy hot dogs and sausages in any size and color.

I’m not sure I’m brave enough to eat a pink one.

We stood by one particular booth in amazement, unable to take our eyes off their offerings. Was it really what we thought it was?

Yes, it was. 

Crickets.

Fried.

And this delicacy next to the crickets is silkworm larvae.

With even more insect delicacies to the left of the larvae.

We showed these photos to our cell group on Sunday morning. They confirmed that yes, these are popular treats in Thailand. Gaan, our leader, said that she loves crickets (they have a salty taste). As a child, she and her family would throw nets into the air to catch the crickets as they jumped and flew, then cook and eat them. Her husband, raised in a southern Thailand, will not touch them. Gaan said she won’t eat the silkworm larvae, as she didn’t grow up with them.

A part of me wishes I were daring enough to try one. Another part of me is glad I’m not.