Crickettes go down smooth

I ate a cricket.
I wanted to try something completely different from what is normally eaten. I was hankering for bug.

I was a hardcore vegetarian for over 5 years. During that time I explored a great variety of what the supermarket produce selection was able to provide. I explored new flavors and new textures of foods. I would eat something and people would say to me, “Is it safe?” On occasion someone would ask me, “Is it safe?” I bought this food at the local supermarket. There is a sign, a price, and a checkout code for my food. Do I think that the local supermarket would put a poisonous plant in the produce section next to the lettuce?

Red lettuce, green lettuce, kohlrabi, rat poison, beets...

I don’t believe they would.

This is when I realized I ask myself different questions when trying a new food:

• Is this food I’m about to eat edible? This question is to eliminate me eating something dangerous like sand or deep fried garden hose.
• Do I believe it will kill me? This is the allergic question. If I will not die from eating it, then it is still an option for me.
• Is this a common dish anywhere in the world? If anyone in the world eats this type of food frequently I know that I can eat it. This is not saying is this a gourmet food in another part of the world. It’s simply saying that in another part of the world there are lots of people who eat this food regularly like we eat french fries.
• Is this being served at a restaurant? If it is being served in a restaurant I’m going to assume that they know how to cook it. Maybe not as well as 5 star restaurant, but at least well enough to list it on their menu.
• Do I believe I will like it? This is an interesting question. If I have never eaten it, how do I know if I will like it?

The crickets tasted like a very mild peanut.