You all know him. The guy at the Christmas party who has just one more story before he will turn loose of you.
Well, that guy is me. Because I have one more tale before I climb into the airplane to San Francisco.
Yesterday a bit of exotica came into my life. A local friend called me and asked if I would be interested in some bite-size pieces of adventure. Having long ago adopted the advise of the Sondheim song that “I Never Do Anything Twice,” I decided I had to try almost everything once.
My friend dropped off the ziplock bag you see in the photograph at the top of this post. Anyone who has lived in Mexico very long will recognize the gift: chapulines. Grasshoppers.
Well, a very specific grasshopper prepared in a very special way. Grasshoppers from Oaxaca Collected when they are young and tender. Toasted in clay ovens. And flavored with chili and lime. (Of course, chili and lime. They are Mexican snacks. No pickled onion crisp flavors here.)
I took the bag. Examined the oddly-red corpses of the grasshoppers. And decided there was only one thing to do in a situation like this. I grabbed the fattest bit of my new fast food. Took a quick look at it. And into my mouth it went.
I can now say I have eaten a grasshopper. It was soft on the inside. But without much flavor other than the overwhelming taste of chili powder. And crunchy on the outside. Just a bit too crunchy. Like eating bougainvillea twigs. And just a bit stale. After all, the grasshoppers are gathered fresh in the summer.
The rest of the afternoon and evening, I did my best to act as a chapulin pusher. To a person, Canadians, Americans, and Mexicans refused my very kind offer. The young Mexican woman who cooks at the restaurant around the corner had never seen them before and was shocked that anyone would even think of eating them.
I think I now know how some of the cooking show hosts feel when they try to get people to try something new.
I understand that chapulines can be (and are) used as fillings in other foods. So, who knows how many of us have actually tried them in Mexico?
Maybe I actually do some things twice.
But that is the end of the story. You can now head off and talk to that far more interesting woman by the punch bowl. I think she has a few food tips of her own.
30 comments:
Because I live in Oaxaca, or maybe because I'll eat anything, I've had chapolines a few times. Generally served at weddings and birthdays.
Tourists who visit Oaxaca are frequently asked, "Have you tried chapolines?" Oaxacans like to watch the reaction.
Because I'm a foreigner, I'm sometimes asked this touristy question. My response is, "Yes, and I like them." This always brings a look of surprise on the face of the questioner.
Vegetarians don't eat no stinkin' crickets - which is a great excuse to avoid such heroics as yours ;-)
The people from Oaxaca that have stands here sell them. I have looked at them and didn't think they looked like they should go in my mouth, Roy also felt the same way. Anytime I take someone new by there I ask them if they would like to try them; but oddly enough they all refuse. Go figure.
I think chocolate covered grasshopper legs might be more for me; although I have never tried them either.
You really can't tell what you're eating, could be weed sticks or the like. They were ok, other than I was spitting out the little hard legs that got lodged in between my teeth.
I wouldn't go out of my way to buy any, One has to go out of their comfort zone now and then. I have had testicles a few times, I would like to try the lamb eyeballs if I ever get the chance...
been there, done that, and for me, once was enough - bravo on your motto to try almost anything, at least once. Be Brave, Be Bold, Be ....
i thought they were some weird kind of looking fish. don't think i would have tried one. you are braver than i.
have a great time on your trip. hopefully you won't have any problems in the chinese airports like we did.
looking forward to your posts.
teresa in nagoya
Never ate a grasshopper. I have eaten fried frog legs. They are crispy, and of course, taste like chicken. What about cactus soup? I enjoyed a bowl when I lived in Gaudalajara.
I too thought the picture was of some sort of fish. They still don't look like grasshoppers to me.
Good preparation for the exotic foods you will be experiencing in China (maybe?).
Chapulines are kid stuff. You need to try tacos de jumiles vivos. Then you can tell me what they're like.
Saludos,Don Cuevas
It's very important that we all be sensitive to the cultures of others. And that's what I tell people in Mexico when they want me to eat Chapulines, humiles, gusanos de Maguey, escamoles and other such creepy, crawly fauna. It's contrary to my culture to eat such things.
However in Taxco, F (who is Mexican and does eat such things) insisted on ordering escamoles, while the rest of us politely declined. The next day, he was the only one not feeling well.
Saludos,
Kim G
Boston, MA
Where we like to think of ourselves as adventuresome, but draw the line at eating insects.
Vivos no .... but salsa de Jumiles o Chumiles is very interesting without the vision of bugs crawling around inside you. I thought a metallic taste while others say like iodine
In the bag they look a little like fried Charales ... but not really. Charales are little minnow like things found in inland Mexico lakes
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I suspect you may have eaten many a bug (secretly) on your vegetables.
All foodstuffs are worth a go.
Like you, twigs came to mind. But it was not my first run-in with bugs. I took a girlfriend to a bug restaurant in Washington, DC. The fact that I can now add "ex" in front of that noun tells much.
I'm with you. On all the points.
I am down on the ground in San Francisco. Just waiting for the great trek to begin on Sunday.
When I first saw them, I recognized them for what they are. Garden pests.
I love cactus soup. Not to mention cactus as a side dish for breakfast.
Training wheels for my tongue.
That sounds like a dare, sir. I may be up to the challenge. Next visit?
MMM! Sounds tasty.
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You are disgusting!
But you knew that already.
Yeah, I don't think your car has ever been washed. It does, however, give it character.
With a character inside.
Touché!
And in China, I encountered no grasshopper. But I had cuttlefish, donkey, and sea cucumber.
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