[Sca-cooks] "Blattes de Bysance" in the Baghdad cookery book

[Maggie MacDonald]

At 02:41 AM 5/15/02,'bella said something like:

>yup we got em here too in florida....  palmetto bugs.. once took
>dates stuffed them
>and told a freind they were fried bug.
>'bella
>
>: I have always thought that dried dates, when you pit them and
>squash them
>: flat, look alot like the Cockroaches we had when I lived on the
>coast of
>: South Carolina. Commonly known as Palmetto Bugs.
>:
>: Probablly not what they are talking about tho.
>:
>: -Serena da Riva

I visited an open air market in Seoul when I was there in early March.
There were loads of lovely little food stands there, and I put my western
prejudice aside and tried anything I was offered, except for ONE THING.

They sold fresh fried thingies that looked very closely related to
waterbugs. I asked my hostess, and yes, those were beetles. You could get
them hot or cold, and in copious piles.

They were probably for some medicinal purpose (I'm sure), but I am _NOT_
going to touch it. Nope, no way, no how, nope.  Yeah, I'm prejudiced. Thats
right. And i'm NOT going to touch them.

Regards,
Maggie MacChicken.