A Short Letter Home: You are what you eat

Monday, October 24, 2005

You are what you eat

Okay, it's time to come clean. It's time to give the people what they want. I know, I've been there. I've read other weblogs. I've peeked through that window into other people's lives, to experience vicariously what I'm not able to experience first hand. But that pales after awhile and the exotic becomes familiar. When that happens, there's only one thing that will awaken one's interest. Especially when you're reading about a regular guy in a foreign land. You start wondering, has he... done it yet? If so, how often? What's it like? Was it good? Well, I know you've been asking these questions, and I figure it's high time to give you the answers. Okay, I confess. The answer is yes. I have eaten bugs.

Feasting on insects was not really on my to do list. I mean, it took me a good thirty years before I tried shrimp. Expanding my culinary horizons was something I saw as an unavoidable evil rather than a goal. Of course, there are other people who make introducing exotic foodstuffs their life's work. I think one of my colleagues, Rich, is that sort of person. When we were in Kunming earlier this month, he and his wife were our hosts. For one of our meals, we went to a restaurant (I forget what ethnic group it was) and they did the ordering. Amongst the "normal" food, he ordered a four part variety pack--bees, bamboo worms, pig intestines and cashews. I had to show I was not a wimp and sampled all four. I took a second helping of the bees. (I preferred the cashews, but then, so did everyone else. They were cleared out before I could get my fill.)

Then, this past Saturday, Rich visited us and Thad invited us out to lunch. (Or maybe it was the college president. I don't know who's idea it was. All I know is that a lot of guys sat down to lunch.) Much to our surprise, we went to the local ant restaurant. Actually, I probably should have mentioned the ant restaurant before now. It's a little joint on the main road heading away from campus. We pass it all the time. It has a sign hanging outside adorned with a photo of a dish of food and two illustrated ants. (The latter enlarged to show texture.) We couldn't figure out what was up with that sign at first. Yau Neih thought it was bad marketing. Me, I was wondering if it was advertising an exterminator. After a few weeks, we found out that the ants were on the menu. And now, we got to sample said fare. (termites, too, but the termites were mixed with pork, so that's not as impressive.) All I can say is--ants trump bees. Even if they are harder to pick up with your chopsticks.

The thought that keeps coming back to me, as I muse on these culinary adventures, is that of my sainted grandmother. The poor woman had tried to get me to eat many good staples of German-American cooking--fruits, veggies, rinderwurst--but I stubbornly refused every offer. Since there are no tears in Heaven, she must be looking down at me and having a good laugh.