Monday November 19th can best be described as a perfect storm. Two short papers, a four page rough draft, a full annotated bibliography, and a 12 page lab report were all due, with an intimidating biology exam to study for. Needless to say, there was very little sleep to be had, but plenty of stress to go around. It wasn’t until the sun set that the pace slowed, and a breather could finally be had.
My friend and I have developed a tradition here at Stockton: to end any stressful day with copious amounts of eating. We headed to N- Wing dining, disappointed to find a Thanksgiving dinner that had reached full capacity. And so we were forced to consume the over-priced food of the Campus Center, still hungry after the meager meal. The night seemed doomed to fail, but then an E.D.I.BL. poster caught my eye, advertizing free food with Chef David Gordon. Of course there was a catch, namely that the free food consisted of bugs. But we were hungry and intrigued, and so headed over to the Event Room for what promised to be an interesting event.
The room was just filling up as we got there. Ignoring the ominous sign of required waivers, we found our seats and chatted nervously. We had no idea what to expect of a man nicknamed “the Bug Chef”, and so were pleasantly surprised when he took the spotlight; he had an agreeable sense of humor that was paired with an entertaining quirkiness. As the frying pan heated, he talked about the practicality and tastiness of bug eating. His points focused on protein and the wastefulness of traditional foods, noting the various cultures around the world that munch on insects. Surprisingly, the entire room seemed to be nodding in agreement, myself included.
The time came for the actual cooking and consumption of the bugs. We were to prepare everything from tarantula to grasshopper, watching in both disgust and admiration. He waved the specimens in front of us nonchalant, explaining the exact methods for cooking different pests. He asked for volunteers, and almost every hand in the room shot up; feeling brave, I added my own to the sea of arms. My friend was shocked and disgusted, and did her best to pull down my arm. The subsequent struggle grabbed the attention of the Bug Chef, and I was called up to the front.
The dish was fried, breaded scorpion. The creature was thrust into my hand, with orders to soak it in milk and roll it in cornflakes. I was instructed “to really get it on there,” and cautioned not to neglect the tail, for that is evidently the chewiest section. Cameras flashed, recording the progress of the unusual task. I was surprisingly tolerant of the ordeal, and was in fact hoping for a taste.
Although I never got to try a scorpion or even the tarantula, the night can be considered a success. Chex Mix with crickets proved to be a suitable distraction for stress, and chocolate covered grasshopper was enjoyable enough for second portions. In the end I am glad that spontaneity led us to this event, for it gave us an interesting experience that will be difficult to forget. And while I am proud to be one of the few Americans to have willingly eaten an insect, the urge is now gone; I do not see myself joining E.D.I.B.L. any time soon. Still, a candied- grasshopper is never out of the question.