You’d be surprised just how normal eating bugs can be.
That’s the mentality behind Eat Bugs Events — a unique events and catering company in Los Angeles that’s working to get everyday people to wrap their minds around eating bugs by using dinner parties, bug and wine pairings, and critter cocktail mixology.
On paper these events might seem like a novelty, but they're as informational as they are unique. Bugs are not only rich in nutrients, they also offer a solution to the harmful environmental impact of raising beef, so says founder Aly Moore when asked about the inspiration behind Eat Bugs Events.
They're like super foods -- like little vitamins. For the environment, they take tons less water than cattle to raise. They take less land, they are killed ethically, and if you're into flavor there's a whole playground to explore.
The startup business manager by day began experimenting with bug recipes after trying "chapulines," or cricket tacos, in Mexico and fell down a rabbit-hole, discovering companies around the country championing bugs as a sustainable food source.
Aly's menu now dives deep into the flavor spectrum of all sorts of bugs with dishes like termite caprese, grasshopper egg souffle, june bug jam wafers, and ant couscous stuffed endive.
The events bring a radically mixed crowd from expert foodies to curious first-time bug eaters, all of whom take to the creations rather well after what Aly calls the light bulb moment.
When people come in they have a lot of ideas about what bugs will taste like. I think they're expecting a Lion King moment where it's slimy yet satisfying and guts squirt out everywhere. But the bugs here are dried, they're put into dishes -- it feels really normal in a weird way.
You can find out more about Eat Bug Events on their website by clicking here.
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