Beside it was a dish of chilli bugs, which are the insect equivalent of a popular Singaporean meal consisting of stir-fried mud crabs drenched in a thick, sweet chilli sauce.
With one exception—every dish’s primary ingredient was crickets—it appeared just like any other buffet.
There was a man who would not stop questioning the young cook, and a woman who carefully ladled stir-fried Korean glass noodles topped with minced insects onto her plate.
It was to be expected that the diners would gobble up the feast. Ultimately, they were among the greater than it.
The conference’s name, Insects to Feed the World, pretty much said it all.
Some would have claimed that it was the standard food, consisting of coconut vegetable curry, grilled sirloin steak with onion marmalade, and wild-caught barramundi infused with lime and lemongrass.
The United Nations estimates that two billion people, or about 25% of the world’s population, currently regularly consume insects as part of their diet.
Growing numbers of people should join the growing number of bug advocates that promote insects as a healthy and environmentally friendly option. But will the chance to save the environment be enough to entice people to try their favorite spooky treats?
