How I Learned to Like Bugs in My Food: The Psychological Takeaway.

Guacamole with Chapulines (grasshoppers), a Oaxacan delicacy, Oaxaca MX

When I was a kid, I found a tiny green caterpillar in some blueberries.  That was it for me and blueberries for a long time.  Many years later, when a cooking-minded friend told me that smoked, ground worms were a key ingredient in the dark mole at my favorite Oaxacan restaurant, I felt a real sense of betrayal; I didn't go back there for a long time.  Yet, things were destined to change.

Before my initiation into insect-eating, if I found grasshoppers, on my guacamole, I would 
have complained and sent it back.  Oaxacans have a real fondness for food garnished with the insects and guacamole this way is more expensive than plain guacamole.
If you order your guacamole with chapulines (grasshoppers), it costs more than plain. 


My first encounter with, presumably, edible bugs was on a trip to Puebla MX.  

Chapulines, Puebla MX

Chapulines, Puebla MX

I bought a bag of the spicy, crunch critters that came in an assortment of flavors, including spicy chili, and lime. They were so attractively displayed that my curiosity got the better of me.  They are toasted and crisp, not gooey or slimy to bite into.  To me, they had a fishy taste.

Then came my trips to Oaxaca MX, the home of the toasted grasshopper. Again, the many displays were so attractive.   And not only grasshoppers, but crickets, too.

Chapulines, Oaxaca MX

In fact, bug-eating isn't just a for-show activity in Mexico, but has deep historical roots in the
culture. I have written about this before and please click the link to get to the article.
https://colonialmexicoinsideandout.blogspot.com/2017/08/eat-and-drink-like-aztec-or-inca.html  At this point, I couldn't describe myself as a bug devotee, but at least I no longer cringed at the thought of eating them.  

 A trip to the Mexico City area brought me face to face with my anxiety about worms in my food.  While on a drive to visit the Church/Convento of Ixmiquilpin in Hidalgo state, my guide decided it was time for lunch. This was where we stopped.

Roadsisde restaurant, Hidalgo state, MX

Lunch was tacos and my guide, a remarkable octogenarian, asked the waiter for gusanos
as a garnish for his.  In a million years I never would have tried them, on my own, but in the  context of a Mexican taco joint, the novelty propelled me to take this unexpected step.

Gusanos, Hidalgo state, MX

These chubby maggots are threaded on strings and smoked; you can find them in markets still hanging on the string.  I couldn't resist my curiosity, I took one from the plate and very gingerly took a tiny bite; it tasted dry and smoky, not at all what I imagined.  Very often they are ground into a fine powder and mixed in moles for the extra little kick they bring. 

The Takeaway- It's not About Bugs, It's About You!
I"m not trying to encourage anyone to eat creepy-crawlies; they really are besides the point.  What I am trying to show is one particular instance in which travel changed me.   There is something about being in an entirely new situation, that encourages people to try different things and put aside old fears and aversions.    Travel nudges you out of your rut, and you grow .  For me, that is the essence, the whole point of travel.  It's not the photos in your album that count, although they're fun to see, but the changes in you.