Tasty Treats

So this morning started out with a fresh mango and pineapple smoothie. I don't know if a better breakfast exists. I then did some work at Asian Hope International School and the Sanctuary (Asian Hope's new Hospitality house). Busy times around here. Later on, after trying to find some things for our new place, Carolyn and I ran to the "grocery store" with my 10-year-old, Calli. She has been blessed (or cursed) with somewhat of an adventuresome spirit like myself. So as we were pulling up to the store, she suggested we buy some crickets. When somebody says that here they are not meaning the kind you buy to feed to your pet reptile. They mean the fried kind supposedly for human consumption. So we did our shopping at the store and took off on the moto to find crickets. Hoping it would take long enough so she would get discouraged in the search, we found some within about 47 seconds of leaving the parking lot. She had made me promise that if she ate it I would too (or maybe it was vice versa). Anyways, we purchased a bag full of fried crickets from a roadside (actually on the road) vendor. She had a pan of boiling oil right on the cart with a fresh batch brewing. We somehow communicated what we wanted and she communicated in Khmai that it would cost 2500 riel. That is about 60 cents. Okay, I think I can spend that on what some here consider a delicacy. So we brought them home and some in our family (I would never let on that it is Carolyn and Abby) were completely disgusted by the sight but the rest of us were okay with it. Calli and I eventually proceeded to make good on our agreement. The crickets were first dumped out onto a plate and set on the counter. We waited 5 minutes and if that wasn't enough, when we took the cover the plate, ants had swarmed the pile of crickets. Not to be discouraged, we decided that if we had resolved to eat one type of insect, why not 2? So we pressed on. I was volunteered to go first. So I bravely and confidently (at least on the outside) stuck one fried cricket in my mouth and chewed it up. Much to my surprise it wasn't bad. It almost tasted like a crispy piece of bacon. If you didn't have to deal with the long hind legs poking the inside of your mouth you could almost forget you were eating one of those things you stomp on when you see it alive. Nonetheless, my ingestion of the cricket preceded Alex and Calli eating one as well. Then our brave Cameron tried by putting a leg in his mouth. He did end up spitting it out but it was a try. The 2, perhaps smartest, members of our family, Carolyn and Abby, stood by with cameras and much moral support. All in all a great bonding experience for our family. Sorry Jiminy. Pics are of the 3 "partakers" of the crickets, the crickets themselves and Calli trying to brave the cicket).