Saved 11/06/09 to Savory Sights

A Glimpse Into a Gourmet Bug Tasting


It's one thing to say you'll try any sort of food, but another entirely to truly follow through on your promise. That's why, right before an eight-course gourmet bug tasting this week, I started bugging out over it. If I screamed when I saw insects in my apartment, how was I going to bring myself to eat them?



The one-of-a-kind dinner was organized by the Stanford Club of San Francisco, and featured everything from grasshoppers to dung beetles. Read on to find out how I fared throughout the meal.

A Glimpse Into a Gourmet Bug TastingGreeting TableFresh Weaver Ant Larvae on CrackersDeep-Fried Spiced Bamboo WormsBug-Eating Expert Treena Joi Crickets With Eggs on Mushroom Bruschetta Couscous With Red Shield BugsDung-Beetle-Garnished Pumpkin SoupGrasshopper PolentaSilkworm Wild Rice MedleyPear Tart Sprinkled With Weaver Ants and Queen Ants
Saved to

Savory Sights

Petite Jam Tarts "Cheesy" Roasted Cauliflower Chocolate Ginger Bliss Cookies A & W  Root Beer Ribs Double Berry Balsamic Jam Crunchy Taco Veggie Burger Tempeh Mole Muffins
Nyrina Windu Nyrina Windu
No thanks!
Sherellj Sherellj
OH Hell NO!
PinkNC PinkNC
Eww, no thanks. In China and Japan vendors sell bugs on a stick. Like their simple lollipops or kabobs.
tarabara1229 tarabara1229
Yikes, I have entomophobia (a seriously debilitating condition when you like the outdoors!) and I will never, EVER be able to do this. You are incredibly brave!! Do you know if anyone has gotten physically sick during these tastings? I sure hope they had buckets nearby for the fainthearted.
suziryder suziryder
I'd like to think I'd be brave enough to eat these things, since my philosophy is "try anything once," but looking at these pictures and thinking of *actually* eating food with bugs mixed in... I don't know if I could handle it! The thought of getting grasshopper wings stuck in between my teeth makes me gag, I can't imagine what would happen if I were actually in that situation!