Back in early September I posted about my hankering to eat some bugs or, more accurately, insects. Specifically grasshoppers, which I've known to be eaten by folks in other countries. I read about it. And this year I was ready to try them myself, since there were so many around in my area (Everett-Snohomish) this summer- particularly the big showy Carolina Grasshoppers which seemed to me to be a bit larger than your average cocktail shrimp.

My theory was to wait till the weather cooled off a bit because cold bugs are easier to catch. The following poem summed it up quite nicely I thought;

" November cold. Hey, Grasshopper!
What goes? Once all that armor
weighed nothing!"

- from Braided Creek: a Conversation in Poetry, by Jim Harrison and Ted Kooser.


Of course November around here would be too late, but I thought I had time since the fall has been so mild, but I missed the boat. No big grasshoppers around this week.

So I had to settle for a smaller species today, and only caught a few. I tossed them one by one into some boiling water, where they turned red much like a boiled crab does. Then I sauteed them a bit it butter garlic and lime juice. Pretty good for a first try. All I need is about 100 more. Or maybe 500.

Thank you, Rachel Lawson for pointing out the word "Chapulines" , which is the Mexican term for these cooked bugs. I googled "Chapulines in Seattle" to see if anyplace had them on a menu and there was one place that served them as a bar snack.

Jeff Gibson
bugging you again from
Everett Wa