SC - Agave Worm - Private

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Uduido at aol.com wrote:

> Many cultures the world over regularly consume insects as a daily part of
> their diet. They are both extraordinarily tasty and filled with protiens and
> nutrition. European cultures are unique and somewhat bizaare in the lack of
> insects in their diet when compared to the majority of populations in the
> world.
> 
> Lord Ras.

Here, here! Or is it "Hear, hear!" ? Whether or not we as individuals
wish to chow down on a nice plate of fried grasshoppers is a bit
irrelevant. I probably could, but I suspect I'd have to get at least a
bit intoxicated first...maybe some mescal would do the trick.

Be that as it may, I have frequently eaten the agave worm in the Mescal
bottle, and am here to report no ill effects, the alcohol having
denatured most of the proteins, including bacteria and enzymes. Is there
supposed to be some kind of hallucinogen in the worm? To the chagrin of
a few friends who would charitably be called throwbacks to the '60's,
this appears not to be the case.

Calvin Schwabe's book "Unmentionable Cuisine" has a section with insect
recipes, and makes reference to a 19th-century English book, called,
cheerfully enough, "Why Not Eat Insects?" 

I figured that I was doing my share of equitable usage of the world's
protein supply by eating organ meats on a regular basis (I have a
haggis, some calves' brains, and some sweetbreads in my fridge right
now. That should count for something.) I generally corner folks who are
afraid of such variety meats and accuse them of being "buffalo tongue
eaters", after the people who nearly made the American Bison extinct by
shooting them from train windows, sending a guy out to collect the
tongues and the occasional hump, and leaving the rest for the buzzards.
Oh, and I eat plenty of squid and octopus, and I figure most processed
food in America (flour, for instance) contains a certain percentage of
ground weevils and cockroach legs.

  

By the way, watch out for bats. They'll fly into your hair. ;  )

Adamantius