Children of Raleigh, NC Eat Bugs

Though we may have thought that devouring creepy crawly things was an experience only left to the people of the third world, on September 15th hundreds of Raleigh children and many of their parents partook of the tasty little morsels.

If you are thinking that the drought has led the town fathers of Raleigh to decree that children will eat bugs, that is not the case! Eating bugs is a purely voluntary happening, at least for the time being.

Starting with an appetizer of buggy bean dip with a dab of shrimp dip for flavor, the youngsters began an exotic trip through the insects of the world.

The main courses were delicious and nutritious meal worms. Some said they tasted a bit like red wigglers.

If that main dish didn't appeal to the taste, the more familiar stir-fried grasshoppers were a pleasant alternative.

Creole crawfish, though not a bug in spite of the wiggly squiggly antenna things, was a favorite of those who prefer water spiders and the like. Being Creole, it came with its own rice.

Side dishes that were offered with the main courses left the children with a lot of choices of delicate and delicious flavors.

Many had to scratch their heads to decide between the Hush Grubbies or the Critter Fritters. For those that preferred that their food was not fried, the only choice was a tasty Wax Worm on Watercress Salad.

For a finishing touch, we all love desert. Kids are especially fond of the sweet little nibbles that come at the end of a traditional meal.

Today the children had a choice of three delectable sweets. One choice, Wormy Watermelon and mint, seemed to be the favorite. It may have been the warm sunny day that created the appeal. Bug bite cookies seemed to be a favorite of the smaller children. They seemed to only care that it was a cookie.

Who can have food outside on a nice day without ants? These ants were nicely done as Ants in Amber.

With many scout troops, dance troupes and families with troops of children at the annual Bugfest at the Museum of Natural Science on Edenton Street in downtown Raleigh, there was significant peer support for trying these native meals of far away places.

Although there were many types of bugs that were offered and well presented on the menu of the Insecta Café, the south's favorite insect, the cockroach, was not among them. Cockroaches have earned a reputation for making a rather unsavory meal.

It was just as well that they were not on the menu. The booth next door to the Insecta Café was able to provide live cockroaches for the famous cockroach race.

At times the Insecta Line stretched out past the flea circus in the direction of the state legislative building.

Bugfest should be back in 2008 if you missed your chance to dine on exotic critters from around the world.

In many countries that lack sufficient sources of protein, insects are combined with locally available vegetation to provide children and adults with a balanced diet. To many of these folks, a roasted grasshopper truly tastes like chicken.

From the wide smiles of the brave children (and a few adults) of Raleigh, NC and the surrounding region, the food was excellent. Many compliments go to the chefs of the Insecta Café.