Have you ever eaten a bug on purpose? Have you ever thought about eating a bug? If you’re like me, your first thought was “Yuck!”
In some places in the world like Uganda, eating bugs such as crickets is not only normal, but also common! Just as many American cities have hot dog vendors, Uganda has cricket vendors in their open-air markets. I found out about eating crickets when I was on a school trip visiting Uganda, Africa.
After a long afternoon of walking through open-air markets, seeing different fruits, vegetables, and baskets made by women in the villages, everyone was exhausted. We found a nice air-conditioned coffee shop across the street, and decided to go get some lunch. Our teacher joined us a couple of minutes later because he had stopped to get his favorite snack, crickets!
When I first saw the fried cricket, I saw its eyes and thought, “Not going to happen.” But then I looked around the table and saw all my friends popping these little critters in their mouth and enjoying it! I took a big sip of water and the next thing I knew, I felt the crunch in my mouth.
We live in a diverse world. Diversity comes from different customs and traditions practiced in various places on the surface of the earth. Traveling abroad is a time to push yourself outside of your comfort zone. It just seems wrong to go halfway across the world and eat a cheeseburger and fries!
What did it taste like? The cricket was salty and had a texture that resembled a potato chip!
What do you think? What is the most interesting food you’ve ever tried? Would you like to try eating an insect?
About the author: Carolyn Rossetti is a student at Drake University who spent some time studying in Uganda, Africa.
Photo Credit: Carolyn Rossetti
