| Many people enjoy Thai food worldwide: spicy | | | | and butterflies; you must first remove the pupae |
| soups and salads, flavorful rice dishes are | | | | from their cocoons, then boil them until soft with |
| abundant. But in Thailand, fried or roasted insects | | | | a pinch of salt, finally sautée them lightly; |
| and scorpions are also popular, readily available, | | | | • the larvae of wasps and bees; these are |
| and inexpensive. | | | | deep-fried;and arachnids: |
| Insects have traditionally been a rich source of | | | | • poisonous scorpions, which are grilled; |
| protein, calories, vitamins, and minerals in the | | | | • giant tarantulas, which are also grilled. |
| Northern Thailand diet. They are also prized as | | | | I have not seen other spiders eaten, but I |
| delicacies. In fact, it is unusual to find an insect | | | | suspect if it moves, it is considered food |
| which is not eaten in one form or another by local | | | | somewhere. |
| people. Among the most popular are: | | | | Also, termites (large white ants) are grilled and |
| • cicadas, locusts, mantises, crickets, and | | | | their eggs are a delicacy used to make a flavorful |
| grasshoppers which are all deep fried and are | | | | soup. |
| rather crunchy; | | | | Where I lived in Bangkok, Sukhumvit Soi 4, every |
| • bamboo worms, which are also deep fried; | | | | night starting around 5:00 PM, there was a street |
| • giant water bugs, which are steamed; they | | | | vendor with half a dozen kinds of fried and grilled |
| are also ground into a paste with chili and eaten | | | | insects and scorpions; her customers were mainly |
| with sticky rice; | | | | the bar girls in the area. Every night she was quite |
| • weaver ants (red ants with a painful bite) | | | | busy as the girls consider these insects a tasty |
| and their eggs; sticky rice is dipped into a mixture | | | | snack, and munch on them as frequently as |
| of ants, eggs, and chili; | | | | Western people munch on potato chips. |
| • dung beetles; which add a wholesome flavor | | | | The lady vendor does not speak any English, but |
| to curries; however, many people will not eat | | | | will pose with her wares for a photograph if you |
| them because they live in and on excrement. | | | | give her a 20 baht (about 60 cents) tip. And if |
| In addition, Thai people will eat | | | | you're brave, you could always buy a bag of |
| • the pupae of silk moths and other moths | | | | deep fried bamboo worms. |