grasshopper.jpg
Roasted grasshoppers are served with chili-lime salt at Poquitos on Capitol Hill. (Image courtesy Poquitos)

Let's Eat: Grasshoppers

BY Jamie Skorheim  on August 24, 2012 @ 9:06 am (Updated: 10:51 am - 10/10/12 )

Let's Eat host and Seattle Times restaurant critic Providence Cicero has been critiquing food for years, but there's one thing the frequent taster can't bring herself to try: bugs.

"I think I'm going to lose my card carrying membership in the food critics association by refusing to eat bugs," Cicero tells co-host Terry Jaymes.

But Jaymes is coming to the rescue so no Seattle food goes uncovered on the Let's Eat show.

"You've done something I can't bring myself to do," says Cicero.

Cicero asked Jaymes to try the grasshopper dish, listed on the menu as Chapulines, at Poquitos in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. Cicero says it's a great restaurant, but she just has never been able to bring herself to the point of eating bugs, anywhere.

At first, Jaymes was planning to refuse, describing himself as not a very adventurous eater, but as a man who loves a challenge, he decided to embrace it.

He went to the restaurant knowing full well he was going to embark on this eating endeavor. The dish was $1.95 and even though he knew he was about to get after it regardless, he felt he needed more info to properly prepare.

"I asked [the wait staff], 'Do they look grasshoppery?' She looked at me and said, 'Yes, they are definitely grasshoppery.' And I wanted to know how many. It scared me when the answer I got from her was, 'However many fit on the plate.'"

When the dish arrived, he says he didn't want to waste any time looking at it or picking around.

"I took a big drink of beer and I ate it as fast as possible," says Jaymes. "I did it."

He says it was crunchy and little mealy inside. He also felt like he could smell a slight odor emitting from the toasted bugs.

At final review, Jaymes says he felt somewhat bothered after he ate the grasshoppers and the effect is lingering.

"It kind of bothers me today that I did it."

But that doesn't keep him from telling co-host Cicero it's about time she tries some bug flavor.

"I'm not going to be your testing dummy over here Providence," says Jaymes.

Let's Eat can be heard on 97.3 KIRO FM Saturday at 4 p.m. and Sunday at noon. Available anytime ON DEMAND at MyNorthwest.com.

Jamie Skorheim, MyNorthwest.com Editor
Whether it's floating on Green Lake, eating shrimp tacos at Agua Verde, or taking weekend drives out to the Cascades, she loves to enjoy the Pacific Northwest lifestyle as much as humanly possible.
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Comments (3)


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  • boomshakalaka wrote...
    ....
    August 25, 2012 4:42 pm
    ..... and in other news, you could eat your own turds... ya know, if ya wanted to...
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • alaskarowland wrote...
    Grasshoppers
    August 25, 2012 4:59 pm
    A few years ago, I was in San Luis Potosi in Mexico on a VIP tour of a factory. We were guests at a typical regional banquet where fried grasshoppers were served. I gained the respect of the locals by taking a serving and eating such. They weren't bad... I've had the opportunity to try many cultural dishes in my travels over the years... There's a lot out there that's worse than grasshoppers...
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • fartforce1 wrote...
    they are no different than eating shrimp.
    August 25, 2012 7:33 pm
    In Asia they are good with honey. In the bible John the baptist ate locusts. Fried shopper is tasty with lime and chili spice. You should try it. its delicious.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }