Just call me the bug eater

I had my Andrew Zimmerman moment today.   Today at lunch we all went next door to the little Oaxacan restaurant for tacos de chapulines (dried, spiced grasshoppers).  Our teacher, Maria Luisa, shared one taco with Malcom (the Brit) and Halvard.  Alessandro, Charley and I each ordered our own.  Monique, the Australian and Bridget (new today from London)  both bailed.

To the giggles of Maria Luisa, when the tacos arrived the other men groaned, laughed nervously and muttered obscenities.  I, on the other hand, was starving.  I was half way through my taco before the others could open their tortillas to see the dozens of crickets inside.  As they squealed like high school sophomores struggling with frog dissection, I calmly added more guacamole and salsa to my second and third mouthfuls.  As they collectively strategized about how to take the first bite, "Just don't look at it...add more salsa," I sipped my beer, and struggled to slow down my usual wolfing tendencies.  Maria Luisa attempted to coach them through it, "It's like salted peanuts...or crunchy spicy shrimp..." One by one, they began to tackle the taco more confidently, but their faces showed their internal struggle.  Charley ate deliberately, but when a chapuline slipped out of the taco and fell on the table next to his plate, he visibly shuddered.  Halvar sucked his third of a taco down in one bite and quickly washed it down with a long swill of beer.  Malcolm nibbled slowly, like a child struggling to eat a piece of broccoli.  Alessandro made a valiant effort, but politely left about 40% of his taco on the plate.  By the time the waiter came to clear our plates and make way for main dishes, my plate was licked clean.  To my good fortune, before clearing Alessandro's plate,  the waiter asked, "Doesn't anyone want to eat these chapulines?"  I was quick to reply, "Absolutamente!"

By the end of the meal, I had probably consumed close to 100 grasshoppers.  That's 200 grasshopper antennas, and 600 grasshopper legs.  I think I also gained a little more respect from Maria Luisa.