Adjust Your Disgust

Alexandra Plakias will have you squirming in your seat with this fascinating look at what we humans find disgusting. Sometimes disgust protects us, but at other times it can mislead, originating as it does in incorrect beliefs about “identity and foreign-ness.” We are drawn to the familiar, but when is it time to push through disgust to try new things? Are you ready to try your first cricket?

My first cricket was underwhelming, in a good way. Crunchy, a little sharp around the edges, mostly tasting of the spices it was coated with; perhaps a slightly musty flavour, but nothing that screamed ‘bug’ (whatever one might imagine). From crickets, it’s a short hop to ants, which contribute a more distinctive flavour: their formic acid gives them a citrusy bite, which turns out to be a pleasant complement to the guacamole I first tasted them with. Visually, the black ants make a striking contrast to the bright green avocado. I was fortunate to be introduced to ants, and grasshoppers, by the chef Mario Hernandez, whose New York City restaurant the Black Ant (which has since closed) incorporated ants and grasshoppers into its Mexican dishes. During an event on edible insects, the chef described traditional harvesting techniques, which involve beating crops with nets to catch the grasshoppers in the tall alfalfa fields.