The Insect Eating Thread

[Dougal]

Scarab beetles are dung beetles aren't they?

[dirtydog]

I think your right, I wonder if they wash them first,na, on second thoughts I dont really want to know

[benbaaa]

I tried a small crispy bug once. Didn't taste of anything much - just a bit crispy and a bit salty. Prefer Nori Seaweed Lays.

But - call me a hyppocrite if you will - I do have a soft spot for girls who'll put anything in their mouths.

[Marmite the Dog]

Originally Posted by dirtydog

I wonder if they wash them first, na

Are you Thai?

[benbaaa]

:grin: ^ I thought it was DD's attempt at the local lingo, too!

[dirtydog]

Here we have an insect eating cart in action

[DrAndy]

Originally Posted by Ken May

I tried the whole gamet of smaller insects. I prefer the crickets and grasshoppers most. The larger squishy bugs are too much for me. I remember a songthaw ride in Nong Khai once, where some old women pulled out a bag of live scarab beetles. They were a bright green colour. She opped one in her mouth and started to chew on it raw, gums and all. She passed the bag around and everybody joined in. I had to refuse, however, I only like to eat fried bugs.

those are not scarabs, different entirely

my wife used to pick them out of the trees to eat, sad as they are really beautiful insects. I have a brooch that looks like a real one, wear it in London on my jacket.

Her sister loves those big waterbugs. There were a bunch of people looking for them in the stream near her house, and we were fishing in the pond mud for snakehead fish. She swapped some delicious fish for some bugs, that's how much she likes them!!

[dirtydog]

Next up we have a nice tasteful video of a young lady eating a live praying mantis

[dirtydog]

I have never been to this market before as it is down Soi Khao Talo which is on par with Soi Nern Plub Wan for being a really crap road, ie the area is way too overbuilt for the size of the roads, what suprises me is they are still building all the way down the road to try and fit more people and traffic down there

Anyway they got a funfair at the market so people can enjoy themselves and they also got a nice insect snack stall so you can snack on your favourite insects while watching the shows

Crispy peanut tasting locusts.



Chubby light colored beetles, you can see some grubs of some sort on the left of the picture.



Chubby black beetles and what I think are cockroaches although I am sure that the Thais will deny this

[nedwalk]

i,ve eaten them all..but i drew the line at the bloody cane toad..the ants arnt bad same as the grasshoppers..i actually don,t mind em while i,m having a beer, sorta like pork crackleing but different

[Agent_Smith]

I suppose you could eat just about anything if you fry it--bugs, shoes, roadkill, small pillows whatever. It was quite vogue among the bumbag set to eat deep fried Twinkies a few years ago in my hometown.

Here's a pic (with a crushed Oreo topper):

[Thaicoon]

Snails i love em, tasty, Escargo, a few years back use to go to a famous steak house in Pattaya, i would always order snails to start, then go onto a Nice juicy T-Bone, wife and i eat here quite often untill something put me off.

Went to the outside concrete shithouse, there were 2 thai guys there collecting Snails in a basket off the side of the pan and around the toilet area.

Put me off snails for life.

[ceburat]

Escargo, snails, in Italian and Chinese Food. Delicious. Here just out side of Korat my wife and her family get these big black looking beetles and cook them up. I ate some once and that was enough for me. Fried grass hoppers are nice for a snack. Except for escargo I really prefer a steak.

[jizzybloke]

Had a few of these when i was pissed didn't have much flavour if i remember right overpowerd by the manky oil used to fry them in.

Also had some Dancing prawn or shrimp a while back imo little raw prawns marinated in chilli taste a bit like watery chilli.

[Thaicoon]

Well i like sweetbreads, wife always says to me if you can eat those you will eat anything, she thinks it is disgusting.

Some of the insects are quite tasty.

[Happyman]

I keep birds( feathered ones!) and they love bugs of any sort . Asked the local "passing by the bar" bug vendor for a kilo of live ones next time he came by. No can do - they are already dead before he gets them .
Apparently they spray the lalang ( long grass) with some cheap insecticide and then rake the little buggers out !
If you eat bugs and glow in the dark you know what causes it !

[rawlins]

I think it helps if you are drunk before trying the Thai bush tucker challenge.

Tried the grasshoppers, witchety grub thingies, ants and the big waterbugs. There is a distinct bad smell to the hot oil on these bug carts.

I got frowned upon for leaving the heads and legs on the grasshoppers - the Thais take them off (buddhist thing?)


Some big waterbugs that I bought off a cart in Jomtien:



Ex-gik eating the waterbug:

[dirtydog]

Here we have another lovely insect food cart, this one was in Jomtien.



Grasshoppers.



Some big beasty beetle.

[Ivor Biggun]

Originally Posted by rawlins

witchety grub thingies

Silk worm grubs

[rawlins]

^ That's the ones.!... They aren't too bad as a bar snack to go along with the sangsom soda...