Cookaholics Bulletin Board

I posted this on the CI BB but also wanted to share here to see if anyone else has had a similar toe-curler.

I got my haircut tonight and the salon I go to serves wine, which I love. Its such a treat to feel pampered when you're paying all that money. ANYWAY, I wear glasses and obviously have to take them off while my hair is being cut. Well, I went to take a sip of my red wine and on the edge of the wine glass was this BUG, BIG NYC BUG, with LOTS of legs flailing around, wings, gray, and about the size of a nickel. Granted I had my glasses off but I know what I saw and based on the reaction of everyone else in the salon, the presence of this bug caused a huge commotion. I really didn't react and if you knew me you would be surprised! Anyway, it sparked are few other memories of other big stories, like this one.

I love to make chinese dumplings and used to make them in a double bamboo steamer, in our NYC apt. Remember I said USED to use a steamer. Bamboo. With nooks and crannies. Anyway, I always meticulously rinsed the steamer before using it, lined it with romaine lettuce and steamed the dumplings over my wok. And I made them bite size and did this at least once a week for several months.

Well, one night I made extra so I could bring some to work for lunch. For whatever reason when I was eating them for lunch I chose to bite into one dumpling (instead of eating it whole) and then looked at it before I dipped it back into my dipping sauce. I know this sounds like science fiction, but I had 5 witnesses with me (who still LOVE to tell this story) - apparently, there was a cockroach in the bamboo steamer and it crawled into this dumpling while it was cooking. As clear as daylight - I was one bite away from some extra protein! My 5ft frame jumped what felt like 6ft. Lots of jumping around f-words and finally sitting on the floor laughing hysterically.

This lovely bamboo steamer has now been shelf-bound ever since and it's been 10 yrs. I don't even want to know how many other times "protein" might have entered my dumplings. I also can't explain why I've kept the steamer, other than it looks so pretty on the shelf.

I still make my dumplings but now I bake then in mini muffin pans.

Anyone else have bug stories to share? Or want to try to fit into shoes 2 size smaller tonight?

Nancy

Nancy,

Well, my creepiest bug story is when, in Kenya, I had to eat live termites because the family I was staying with was having them. The termites had been seared in hot oil for a few seconds, enough to make their outsides crunchy but not enough to kill them. I've stayed away from anywhere I'd be forced to eat bugs ever since.

The other bug story is from China. This one is better told in pictures:

Hey, what are those things on skewers?



Those are scorpions! People actually eat those?


Thanks, I'll have some tofu instead!