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Within about four
hours, the Ramen Nagi restaurant had sold out of the 100 bowls
of "insect tsukemen" noodles it had prepared for Sunday's
single-day event.
The noodles were topped with about a dozen small crickets and
mealworms, which customers then dipped into soups flavored with
crickets, grasshoppers, or silkworm powder.
"It's deep-fried, so it's really crispy, and it doesn't have a
bad taste," said 22-year-old student Anri Nakatani. "It's almost
like a deep-fried shrimp."
The event was organized by the restaurant owner, and Yuta
Shinohara, a 22-year-old who has set up insect-eating events in
Tokyo, including a Valentine's Day celebration that served
chocolates, cakes and cocktails featuring insects.
Shinohara, who started eating bugs as a child, wants to promote
the alternative food culture in Japan and around the world,
through ramen, a popular Japanese food.
"Through ramen, I'd like to spread how fun and delicious it is
to eat insects," he said.
The full course, costing 3,000 yen ($27), consisted of insect
ramen, a bowl of rice with crickets, spring rolls with fried
worms, and ice cream flavoured with insect powder. The ramen
alone cost 1,500 yen ($13.50).
Insects are eaten in many countries, such as China, Ghana,
Mexico and Thailand. Australia's indigenous groups have eaten
insects for protein for generations. Bugs are even part of
traditional Japanese cuisine in rural areas, but few city
dwellers have had the opportunity to try them.
California tourist Steve Lee enjoyed the dish, but said it would
take time to catch on in the United States.
"Ramen is just taking off now in a big wave in California
so...maybe ten years, five years later?"
(Reporting by Kwiyeon Ha; Writing by Malcolm Foster; Editing by
Karishma Singh and Clarence Fernandez)
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