Yesterday, for the first time in my life, I ate a bug... willingly.
So here's a fun fact about the author for all you out in blog land. About 5 years ago my best friend passed away. He wasn't the most adventurous person in the world or the most willing to try new things. I am. Or I was when I was younger. For a while after he died I stopped caring about things because that's what happens when you lose someone you love sometimes.
After a while something changed inside me... I'm not sure what or why, maybe it was Pepe because he came into my life around the same time this change happened.
One day I just woke up and realized how much things in the world my BFF was missing; new movies, new music, new video games... and then it turned into me thinking about all the things I'd never done in my life but always wanted to do. I realized I didn't want to have my life flash before my eyes (if that really happens) and feel like I had missed out. The first thing I think I really did was ride a motorcycle. It just kind of happened. I was at a bar with a friend and he was talking to some dude who had a bike and the next thing I knew I was riding around the block with this random dude on his motorcycle. It was very liberating and something I could check off my list of things I'd always wanted to do. After that I realized that trying new things didn't have to be scary, I just needed to change my way of thinking about things ever so slightly.
This is what led me to Mexico the first time, what got me to try new things and what brought me back here and to eating bugs.
These bugs are like crickets or grasshoppers, they are called chapulines. They don't taste like much but they are cooked in some sort of salt and lime flavoring so they really just taste like salt and lime for the most part. But, they're not nearly as scary as one might think. They're just food. I tried to think of them as peanuts.
The first time I was here I told myself I would never eat them, hell I wasn't going to eat anything because I heard bad things about eating in markets or food from street vendors. You always hear or read how the food is dirty or has been sitting out with flies and things on it and how our weak non Mexican stomachs can't handle it. I say to hell with that. If something is going to kill me I want to die satisfied. Bring on the street vendors and mercado comida!
One thing that helped change my perspective is eating in taquerias in Chicago, the people who work there learned how to cook in Mexico or wherever they happen to be from probably in a mercado or as a street vendor or from their parents and they have cleanliness standards as well. They wash their hands regularly here. There are signs everywhere telling you to wash your hands to preserve your health. I figure if they would eat there knowing the cleanliness level then it must be safe. After all, we're all human and can contract the same illnesses just as easily.
For example, all of my friends here are sick or getting sick right now with what they call "la gripa" which is basically the common cold. Me? Healthy as a horse with really good health. I don't get sick often in general so why should Mexico be any different. (I am suffering from sinus problems due to allergies but that happens in the U.S. too and probably just as badly.)
As I'm sitting here writing this, a white man with deep blue eyes just came into the cafe and asked if we wanted to try and then buy his chocolates. I had more fear taking food from a dirty hippie than eating in the street. Chew on that.
When I get back to the states I'll post pictures of all the food I've eaten with descriptions and things. Including pictures of my new favorite bug.
So here's a fun fact about the author for all you out in blog land. About 5 years ago my best friend passed away. He wasn't the most adventurous person in the world or the most willing to try new things. I am. Or I was when I was younger. For a while after he died I stopped caring about things because that's what happens when you lose someone you love sometimes.
After a while something changed inside me... I'm not sure what or why, maybe it was Pepe because he came into my life around the same time this change happened.
One day I just woke up and realized how much things in the world my BFF was missing; new movies, new music, new video games... and then it turned into me thinking about all the things I'd never done in my life but always wanted to do. I realized I didn't want to have my life flash before my eyes (if that really happens) and feel like I had missed out. The first thing I think I really did was ride a motorcycle. It just kind of happened. I was at a bar with a friend and he was talking to some dude who had a bike and the next thing I knew I was riding around the block with this random dude on his motorcycle. It was very liberating and something I could check off my list of things I'd always wanted to do. After that I realized that trying new things didn't have to be scary, I just needed to change my way of thinking about things ever so slightly.
This is what led me to Mexico the first time, what got me to try new things and what brought me back here and to eating bugs.
These bugs are like crickets or grasshoppers, they are called chapulines. They don't taste like much but they are cooked in some sort of salt and lime flavoring so they really just taste like salt and lime for the most part. But, they're not nearly as scary as one might think. They're just food. I tried to think of them as peanuts.
The first time I was here I told myself I would never eat them, hell I wasn't going to eat anything because I heard bad things about eating in markets or food from street vendors. You always hear or read how the food is dirty or has been sitting out with flies and things on it and how our weak non Mexican stomachs can't handle it. I say to hell with that. If something is going to kill me I want to die satisfied. Bring on the street vendors and mercado comida!
One thing that helped change my perspective is eating in taquerias in Chicago, the people who work there learned how to cook in Mexico or wherever they happen to be from probably in a mercado or as a street vendor or from their parents and they have cleanliness standards as well. They wash their hands regularly here. There are signs everywhere telling you to wash your hands to preserve your health. I figure if they would eat there knowing the cleanliness level then it must be safe. After all, we're all human and can contract the same illnesses just as easily.
For example, all of my friends here are sick or getting sick right now with what they call "la gripa" which is basically the common cold. Me? Healthy as a horse with really good health. I don't get sick often in general so why should Mexico be any different. (I am suffering from sinus problems due to allergies but that happens in the U.S. too and probably just as badly.)
As I'm sitting here writing this, a white man with deep blue eyes just came into the cafe and asked if we wanted to try and then buy his chocolates. I had more fear taking food from a dirty hippie than eating in the street. Chew on that.
When I get back to the states I'll post pictures of all the food I've eaten with descriptions and things. Including pictures of my new favorite bug.
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