The Bug Chef

David George Gordon and his deep fried tarantula.

Seattle naturalist David George Gordon ("The Bug Chef") was in town promoting the newly revised edition of his classic, The Eat-a-Bug Cookbook, Revised: 40 Ways to Cook Crickets, Grasshoppers, Ants, Water Bugs, Spiders, Centipedes, and Their Kin.  We couldn't resist!  An enthusiastic crowd gathered at Paxton Gate, a wonderful natural history store that's full of eye-popping curiosities, to see him demo easy recipes and try samples.  He really gave quite a convincing argument that we should be eating insects. About 80% of the world's population already eats them, and not because they are otherwise starving! They are plentiful and tasty sources of protein that are very low in fat, practically a wonder food. Hey, the fact that his book is in its second edition (now with more recipes and the kind of glamorous food-styled photography you'd associate with any really upscale cookbook) has gotta mean something! And actually, he pointed out that we're already eating insects, as they are a not insignificant portion of processed foods.  Especially peanut butter. 

He made an elegant scorpion scaloppine, deep fried a tarantula, and served chile lime grasshoppers dipped in melted chocolate.  Cricket cupcakes were also on offer.  Of course, everyone wants to know- did we try them?  Well, no.  I know, I know, everyone thinks that's pretty lame.  But having grown up a very picky eater and having suffered a lot of discomfort and embarrassment as a result, I'm now happy just to be myself and not apologize for it.  We went to see Mr. Gordon and to think about things we'd never considered before, so mission accomplished!  And he definitely convinced us that eating bugs is a respectable thing to do.

We loved Mr. Gordon when he came to Portland to give a talk on slugs, and we've been hoping he'd be back ever since.  Kids love slugs!  They are everywhere in the Pacific Northwest, they're quite interesting, and they are far too slow to escape capture when kids approach.  A winning combination! But who really knows much about them?  If you want to learn more, his book The Secret World of Slugs and Snails: Life in the Very Slow Lane is full of fascinating details.  

Sprinkling the tarantula with cayenne. 

Mr. Gordon explains how to prepare scorpion. 

Chile lime grasshoppers.

After his demo, we walked around and soaked in the wonder that is Paxton Gate.  This is a marvelous place for both people of all ages who love natural history and discerning hipsters in search of ironic taxidermy.  We first discovered the store when we were sent here by The Bug Chicks, who tipped us off that it's the place to get a professional butterfly net. They also have unusual plants, books and toys related to natural history, mounted insects of all descriptions, two headed snakes in alcohol, etc. You shouldn't miss it!  It's very hard not to find something you never knew existed, but you truly need.