Image via WikipediaThe restaurant patron called his server over and asked, "Waiter! What is this fly doing in my soup?" The waiter looks down and replies dryly, "The backstroke, sir." Yeah, I know it is an old joke, but it helps set up this post.
I hate the thought of any kind of insect in my food. One time, while drinking a glass of wine, I felt something in my mouth. A fly had landed in the wine and when I took a swig, it ended up in my mouth. Needless to say, I could not finish that particular glasss of wine.
Now, I know that in some parts of the world, some insects are considered a delicacy. I have heard of folks eating chocolate covered ants. Grasshoppers and crickets can be prepared a number of different ways. The thought has no appeal to me and to be perfectly honest, grosses me out.
Back in February, I talked about an ice cream shop that had created an ice cream recipe made from human breast milk. The thought of having ice cream made from breast milk didn't exactly make me want to give it a try. However, given my prediliction against insects in my food, this next ice cream variety may top it in the gross out factor.
Sparky's Homemade Ice Cream shop in Columbia, MO has developed a variety of ice cream made with cicadas. The cicadas were boiled and then covered in brown sugar and milk chocolate and then added to a brown sugar and butter ice cream base. The first batch sold out the first day.
Sadly for Sparky's their success is over before it ever got started. A local health department official has asked them to no longer use the cicadas as an ingredient because the food safety guidelines do not have any rules regarding how to safely prepare cicadas for consumption.
I hate the thought of any kind of insect in my food. One time, while drinking a glass of wine, I felt something in my mouth. A fly had landed in the wine and when I took a swig, it ended up in my mouth. Needless to say, I could not finish that particular glasss of wine.
Now, I know that in some parts of the world, some insects are considered a delicacy. I have heard of folks eating chocolate covered ants. Grasshoppers and crickets can be prepared a number of different ways. The thought has no appeal to me and to be perfectly honest, grosses me out.
Back in February, I talked about an ice cream shop that had created an ice cream recipe made from human breast milk. The thought of having ice cream made from breast milk didn't exactly make me want to give it a try. However, given my prediliction against insects in my food, this next ice cream variety may top it in the gross out factor.
Sparky's Homemade Ice Cream shop in Columbia, MO has developed a variety of ice cream made with cicadas. The cicadas were boiled and then covered in brown sugar and milk chocolate and then added to a brown sugar and butter ice cream base. The first batch sold out the first day.
Sadly for Sparky's their success is over before it ever got started. A local health department official has asked them to no longer use the cicadas as an ingredient because the food safety guidelines do not have any rules regarding how to safely prepare cicadas for consumption.
What got it stopped was a little known principle of common law, which is the "No, This Just Can't Be Right Ordinance." It has been invoked to put a screeching halt to many things in the absence of scientific testing.
ReplyDeleteOn a more personal note, I have lived in Columbia twice. The first time was while I was a freshman at Mizzou (The University of Missouri), and the second time was when I was married to my third wife, who was born and raised there. My current (and last) wife so happened to be working for the university while I married Sherry, but I do not believe that we ever crossed paths.