Let’s snacking the bugs!†said my Thai new friend, Wardha Wangpakdee Edrics. I was just saying, Nooo way.. never had experience by snacking with the bugs before. In Yogyakarta and some villages in Central Java, there are still people consuming bugs to substitute the eggs or fish for having protein. But…thank you, I am not the person who can easily swalÂlow those very special natural’s creature. I still have the thought bugs are nasty. Wardha keeps driving after having a very nice Spa for 1.5 hours that really giving relaxation, espeÂcially I got lots of tension and the texture of those 12 fresh shrimps in a big local seafood resto in Bang Kapi street were really aweÂsome, my mouth is very sensitive to find food above average.
Nia S. Amira
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After 20 minutes, we arrived at Huay Kwang 24 hours market. The street resemÂbles Tanah Abang in Central Jakarta. We parked at one of the 24 hours of cosÂmetic street vendors. The young girl who sells the things for giving you more beauty wearing a tank top, the weather in Bangkok was over 31 at that night, really got sweat.
About my thoughts of those insects things, Wardha told me that they are low in calories, but high in protein and giving you extremely nutrition. It was once that these bugs snack for only low-income workers in Thailand, but as I saw that night, high-society sit on their fine Mercedes seats just enjoyed their snacking with bugs like they eat a norÂmal chips.
Where Do Fried Insects Come From? – Like in Central Java and other Asian countries where fried insects are eaten, people picked them from the trees, searching the bugs in the undergrowth or just cutting down the bamboo trunks to harvest the bugs, other inÂsects even cultivated by insects farmers and this already becomes local business as they provide with plenty supply for their loyal customers.
Where Can Y o u Find Fried Insects In Bangkok? – Fried inÂsects are available all over Bangkok. One of the places you can find the fried insects is on Huay Kwang Night Market, they sell bagfuls of fried insects every night.
Which Insects Should You Eat? – BamÂboo worms, crickets and grasshoppers are the most popular ones in Bangkok, others include scorpions and water beetles, weevils and ants. I can’t even dare to just bite the bamboo worms that looks still alive to me. A 24 years girl who just came by for a small pack of bamboo worms said she likes fried bugs and it is cheap, 60 bath or 24.000 RuÂpiah.
“Crickets and grasshoppers are crispy, while bamboo worms a r e slightly crunchy on the outside, but soft on the inside. GrasshopÂper legs and cricket wings stick in your teeth and scorpions are harder to eat with all that shell,†explained a 40 years old woman who asked Wardha to translate her in English.
But of course, you will find the taste of fried bugs differs from vendor to vendor as well, as they use different spices and flavorÂings, sometimes vendors add special home made sauce to taste. Like the vendors in Jakarta who sells fried cutting potatos and mushrooms, their fellows in Bangkok also put a spice of chili or herb flavors on fried grasshoppers might give you a wonderful combination with all that crunch.
To those who are super adventurous, try a bag of mixed insects, and you will get a varÂied sample, and the vendor will include the content of your bags with scorpions or other scary insects.
Insects go a bit soggy a few hours after cookÂing, so freshly fried is better too. You can also buy them packaged in plastic at some marÂkets, and the vendor guaranteed the bugs shall be crispy and fresh up to a week.
A 2013 report by the U.N.’s Food and AgriÂcultural Organization suggests that edible inÂsects could help offset food insecurity as the world’s population increases — they are high in protein, vitamins and fiber.
The future might be: bugs in a bag, comÂing soon to a 7-Eleven near you? Who knows?
