Paying my first visit to Talad Neon night market, I started with the rows of food stalls since there's a less likelihood of me getting anything to munch on after a filling meal at Pier 21 food court. I was wrong as something stood out from amongst the food stalls.
Fried insects for sale! Now, I had snacked on insects (deep-fried bees and caterpillars etc) at a restaurant in China and since then, although there were numerous encounters with vendors that sell insects as food for a living in Thailand, they were in mobile stalls which didn't make me feel comfortable as far as hygiene is concerned.
A fixed stall is another story altogether and I was keenly eyeing the platters of fried insects on the table; thinking what I should have as a snack. Sadly, none of my travel mates was interested.
Each portion was priced at 30 baht (about S$1.30) and there were options like crickets, house crickets, pupas, and grasshoppers. Bamboo caterpillar was indicated on the banner hung across the stall but guess there's no supply that day.
Grasshoppers it shall be as crickets looked too much like flies in their deep fried state. I only realized much later that I could request for a mix of insects as the pricing was the same across the board.
Alex attempting a bite for the sake of this blog; no, he didn't dare to chomp off even the legs as he found eating grasshoppers a tad too gruesome! By the way, that's a lot of grasshoppers for 30 baht!
I was thinking that should the great Kon be with me, he would have willingly helped to finish the Asian delicacy. Sent him a picture later that night and it turned out he wouldn't want too! Darn!
Doused with oil and pepper, it actually tasted like soft shell crab, without the seafood flavor. Overall okay (not exactly a delicacy I would crave for) but what I found irritating were the barbs on the tibias of the grasshoppers' six legs as they tended to hook onto my lips!
With a pair of lips that felt a bit swollen, I made the decision to spare the last four grasshoppers even though it was, honestly, an utter waste of their sacrifice.
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Location
Food Section of Talad Neon Downtown Night Market,
1087 New Petchaburi Rd, Khwaeng Makkasan,
Khet Ratchathewi, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10400,
Bangkok, Thailand (next to Berkeley Hotel Pratunam)
Pricing
30 baht per serving.