CULINARY CATASTROPHE
If This Is the Future Of Food
I’m going hungry
I’m an American in Hong Kong. The many vacation days of the Chinese New Year this year have stretched into an endless loop of clashing drum music, red decorations, and existential boredom.
Hong Kong is small, we don’t have family in the city, and we’ve run out of things to do. We should have booked a one week trip abroad like everyone else.
“I know,” my wife says. “Let’s cross the border into China!”
A day trip to China — what could possibly go wrong?
Being erroneously arrested by China’s notorious police system, and thrown into a jail cell for weeks?
No problem. That would be good material for Medium, and a nice break from the tedium of my office job.
A Short Journey
The following morning, after a short one-hour train ride, we arrive at the border.
We fix frowns on our faces to match those of a great nation’s immigration control agency (they smile in New Zealand), and quickly pass through the border checkpoint and into this country of 1.4 billion people.
A culinary odyssey awaits!
In a nearby food market, we scan the variety of gastronomic treasures on display: grilled beef, lamb, roasted chicken, shrimp, octopus. Hawkers beckon us into the many food stalls.
Amidst the hustle and bustle, something else captures our attention. A large crowd surrounding a single booth.
People are swarming around the insects.
Talk about a role reversal!
I push in to take photos.
Man vs. Insect
Mealworms and crickets — just like Bear Grylls.
Would I try them?
For survival, or to look cool on reality survival TV.
Heck yeah! ✅
Look at the legs on that!
Centipedes and silver-worms!
Would I indulge?
You are what you eat. Why would I want to sprout new appendages?
Even for Bear Grylls, they were “off the menu”.
No.❌
Where are the frogs?
Scorpions.
Bear Grylls gave it a go.
Their venom gives me pause. I avoid all poisons, except tequila.
Hard No. ❌❌
A Moveable Feast
This vista had me contemplating a transition into becoming an angry Facebook vegan.
“Insect lives cut short by humanity’s insatiable demand for protein!”
I muse, envisioning my narration for a 3-hour Netflix miniseries exposing the bug trade.
“I’m hungry,” my wife interrupts, her back turned to the insect smorgasbord and looking elsewhere.
Isn’t the best compliment for an exotic food, “it tastes like chicken”?
With this in mind, we steer past the insects, the frogs, and the snakes, and head over to a stand selling the original recipe.
The grilled chicken was amazing!
Please share any of your experiences eating bugs, frogs, or anything else unusual, in the comment section. Thanks for reading!
For more info on the topic, here’s a clip of Robert Downey Jr. promoting edible insects on The Late show with Stephen Colbert.
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