Because of my adventurous tastebuds, I get irked by people who say, "Ewwwww! How can you eat that?!" or "There is NO WAY I am going to try that! That's gross!" (Note: these expressions are accompanied with a look of great disgust.) If I mentioned what nationality those people are, I'd be beaten to a pulp physically and verbally. Some readers will know who those folks are. Better left unsaid.
When I moved to Cambodia as a missionary teacher, I ate everything put in front of me, with very few exceptions. I enjoyed everything. I ate like a local. My local colleagues and students loved me because I would eat anything they offered and enjoy it e.g. fried spiders (picture above). This was a real treat because the good ones are only available on the way to the countryside. So, if I or someone else was passing that way, we'd be sure to buy some for the office staff as a treat.
Some years ago, The 700 Club sent a Filipino cameraman, John, and white American producer, Ken, to Cambodia to film the CBN medical team in action. The team travelled daily to different villages to treat patients. On the last day of the filming, Ken needed to film a story on fried spiders. So, we headed to the truck stop of Skoun (1.5hr drive from the city) to get the story.
Ken was petrified as we approached Skoun. This big white man cowered in fear at the trays of fried spiders. Since he had a hard time getting people who were willing to be interviewed on camera, I got on camera as well. Ken bravely did his few lines eating a spider leg, then spit it out as fast as he could as soon as John said, "Cut." The children watching giggled at this big white man and his antics. They got to eat the leftover spider that Ken couldn't stomach. We spent about 1/2 day filming the story and headed back to the city.
For the rest of the evening, we couldn't stop laughing at Ken. John had to do his best to keep the camera from shaking because he was trying to stifle his laughter. Even over dinner at a fancy French restaurant, we were laughing over every bite of our meal. For Ken, he had heard about fried spiders from someone else. He sold the story so convincingly to his boss that he had no choice but to return to the US with the footage.
Nothing really prepares you for the experience, does it? You may be like Ken - terrified of the dead insects that we eat as a snack. Or, you may not be scared, but disgusted instead. Or, be like me and jump right in to see if you like the taste. Whichever type of person you are, try something new today. Be adventurous! You'll be richer for the experience.
Happy eating adventures!
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