Caterpillars?

Months and months ago... yes, it's been impossible to blog about it before now because the internet would NEVER allow me to load the pictures... I went to Zimbabwe for my long-term visa. While I was there, I took advantage of the opportunity to shop for things that are just not found in Moz.

Bag of bugs! Yum!

The aisles and aisles of goodies in the local supermarket were startlingly cheap and I confess I went all out.

The thing is... they had things I'd never seen before. The most surprising of these options were caterpillars.

Hard.    Spiky.    Crusty.    Dried up caterpillars in a bag.

I picked it up to make sure my eyes were not playing games with my mind. Peering through the plastic, I inspected one black creepy crawly after the other until I was convinced.

The crawlers before they were cooked

A black man stocking the shelf beside me caught my eye and I turned to him for help.
-- "Is this really what I think it is?" I asked innocently. "Are these caterpillars?"
He smiled, nodded his head, then said, "Yes. They are really tasty."
-- "Tasty huh?" I said with a smile. "But how do you eat them? Do you just eat them like chips... out of the bag?"
-- "No, no, no," he laughed, taking the bag of critters from my hands, "You cook them first. They are delicious. I always have a bag full in my car for snacks."
-- "Really?" I said with excitement (I'm always looking for new, crazy foods), "Can you tell me how?"
He smiled wider, assuring me it was simple and taking me through the steps one by one.

Caterpillar Recipe: 

Step One~
Soak, then boil the caterpillars until they are soft.

Step Two~
Boil them so they get cleaned out and turn rubbery. 

Step Three~
Dice onions and tomatoes and whatever else you think will be tasty. 

Step Four~
Strain the softened caterpillars and toss out the water.

Step Five~
Sautee onions and caterpillars in a saucepan, seasoning with salt and pepper. 

Step Six~
Add the tomatoes, keeping heat low so it does not burn.

Step Seven~
Dish them up and enjoy! 

Fun note: I found them to be wetter (and chewier) than I expected from the store clerks recipe. So I asked a Zimbabwean friend what I did wrong. His reply was that it was perfect, but if I wanted snacks for the road, I'd have to fry them longer.

(Optional) Step Eight~
Fry in more oil, until crispy.














Note: So I did what I was told... but I fried them too long and got this.

Step Nine~
Enjoy with gusto! 

Side Note: As I'm sure you can see... they look exactly like they did out of the bag. So I can only assume that I overcooked them.

However, my Zimbabwean friends didn't mind at all. Nor did I. Honestly, I found them better when crispy. They are easier to chew.

So there you have it. Once again, I'm convinced that any bug is yummy if deep fried long enough!       

Moral of the story: Some people eat chicken. Some people eat steak. And some people eat... caterpillars?  
             ---Yum!

Millipedes.

Our shower is of simple construction. It consists of a spout and nozzle fastened to a concrete walled cubicle with a door. A quick turn of the nozzle and lukewarm water sprinkles out, washing the day’s dirt away.

It’s nice --especially compared to the alternative (aka: the bucket bath).

One of the fun parts about showering here is you never know who’s going to be showering with you. Some days it’s the flying termites. Other days it’s the frogs.

Yesterday it happened to be a 7 inch millipede!

I washed the soap from my eyes, turned around... then jumped! I had almost stepped on him.

I confess he startled me, but not much more. Frankly, I’m confused when someone expresses a fear of the mini legg-ed beast.

He doesn’t move fast. He doesn’t bite. In fact, other than curl up in a ball when prodded, I have had little luck getting him to do anything noteworthy.

Let’s face it, he’s a boring bug.

So why write a post about him? Why, indeed!

I think it has to do with the fact, that I came across a fancy yellow stripped one the other day. His features were more exotic than his chocolate-brown brothers, so I took a picture.

He looks pretty good, doesn’t he? I wonder what he’d taste like?

Katydid.

Can you spot him? He's hiding very well....

He looked wildly out of place in our observation room. His bright Spring-green wings positively shimmered in the dim light and caught my eye. He was beautiful.

So after checking on my patient, I reached up on the pole used to keep the mosquito nets in place and cupped him in my hands. This made the women in the room titter in nervous laughter; but I’m used to that.

Fighting and flaying he tried to get away but his exoskeleton wasn’t designed for speed. Although he flew a few feet I was able to catch him again with ease.

Beautiful. Intricate.

Walking toward the compound with him in hand, I looked for a better home for my new friend --something with leaves. The vine covered wall of our dining hall seemed perfect and I let him free.

But not before I got a picture.

This guy is easily 2 inches long. When his wings opened for his escape it reminded me of a para-glider diving off a cliff.

Smooth. Steady. Strong.

Not sure what to call him, I looked him up on the internet. The pictures I compared with him say he’s a Katydid.

Any entomologists out there that would disagree?

When I admire his fine markings and his exact coloring for camouflage, I’m impressed. Truly God made everything perfect and good!

The heavens declare His glory... but so do the Katydids!

2nd Degree Missionary...

During lunch I found a bug baked into my bread. I quietly dug it out and threw it away.... then finished eating my sandwich. Big deal. A bug. It wasn’t alive or anything. It wasn’t hissing at me or trying to bore into my skin. I thought nothing of it.

But later, I told my roomie, Rachael, about it and she laughed. She said I was now officially a second degree missionary! Never having heard this term before, I asked her to explain.

She said that during her first missions trip to Africa, the director told her there are three kinds of missionaries.

~ A 1st degree missionary: Sees a bug in her food, gets grossed out, refuses to eat it... or at least the food it was touching.

~ A 2nd degree missionary: Sees a bug in her food, picks it out and eats on! You must eat to survive.

~ A 3rd degree missionary: Sees a bug in her food, decides it must be food. Eats it and smiles.

What kind of missionary are you?

Frankly, between us.... I’m not sure I want to be a third degree missionary... unless we are talking about deep fried crickets.... or chocolate covered ants.... or pan fried termites....  Yum!

Things that go BUZZ in the night.

When the lights go down the crawlies come out and the flappers take flight. It’s positively chaotic at times. Most of the time the legions of bugs stay outside but once in a while they sneak in. Last night, a lightening bug came to bed with me. Two nights before a moth dive bombed me. Last week, a dragon fly the size of a small plane repeatedly chased me around the room.

But I think the biggest beast to barge through these doors is a bat. He came in with a flap of chaotic flittering and circled non-stop. My waving hands and erratic flinging of my shoe probably didn’t help. Eventually he found the door and was smart enough to not return!

Here’s a sneak peak at some of my assailants.

Guinea Worms Galore!

A man came in on Thursday with a Guinea Worm coming out of his right foot. This is my first experience with Guinea worms and I asked to take pictures. In a matter of minutes, Caleb, our trusty Clinic Officer had a hold of that sucker and was meticulously drawing it out. I watched in genuine disgust and horror as easily 10 cm stretched out before my eyes.

Guinea worms are nasty little parasites that breed in water. A person, unlucky enough to somehow ingest an egg, will soon have a worm issue. How it works is an egg lands somewhere in the body, hatches and then grows. Eventually, it finds its way to the surface by burrowing its way out!

Yikes!

Please Lord, don’t ever let me get one of these suckers! I hear they are terribly painful!

Of Bats and Mangos.

On the north side of the compound tower two large mango trees, lush and regal. They are bigger than any mango trees I’ve ever seen before, easily standing four stories tall. Their branches are loaded-- but not with mangos.

Instead these trees house dozens of bats.

You wouldn’t guess it during the day, but come dusk they start to dip and dive. They dart spastically in a drunken feast on the mosquito and flying termites population. (Thank God!) But sometimes they get a little side-tracked.

The other day, one found its’ way into my room. This didn’t bother me much, as I have a tender spot for flying rats. But my bunkmate, Jessica, had a different view. She is not much for anything crawly or bug shaped. And I have recently assumed the role of ‘Bug-squasher’.

So when Dracula came calling, I had to reassure her somewhat. I refused to chase this ‘slightly larger’ bug away as he was ridding me of pests. So we tried to sit still and wait for him to find the door on his own.

He circled a few times and landed a few times. I think it was a lot harder for Jessica than for me to wait him out. But eventually we ignored him and went on with our reading. I was surprised to look up from my book a few minutes later to find the room ‘bat-less’. They sure are quiet.

I wonder if I’ll have to fight them for a proper mango when mango season starts. I guess I’ll have to wait until next February and see.

Cockroaches and Root Canals!

This morning two things happened that were out of the norm! First I got up at 2:30 am and actually stayed up!!! (But I'll get to that later ;-) and second, I killed the largest cockroach I've ever seen in my life!

It was so big that when i killed it (toilet paper in hand!) I heard it crunch several times before I was convinced it was dead! I had to keep checking!!!

Now, I'm a seasoned veteran when it comes to cockroach killing. I have crunched more than my fair share! But today was different.... today was scary! I'm still shaking from the experience!

I googled this nasty little creature to see what kind of roach they grow here in the Philippines and all I've learned is that they bite! One site recommends biting back and even give a few recipes! Yum! I can see why someone might want to eat these snap-crackling crunchies- They are big enough to feed a family of eight!

How "big" is big, you ask? Well, put it this way.... If this guy had gone up against the big 'ol nasty ally cat that lives on my street, I'd have my money on the roach!

Why was I up at 2:30 am? Well... believe it or not, I was asleep by 8pm last night. Yep, hard to believe but it is actually true. I've been moping and dealing with some major molar pain. I'm in the process of a root canal and the pain wakes me up at night and harasses me all day. I'm popping pain killers like skittles and feeling as whiny as a teething toddler!

Please pray for me.... I realize now that I am a lousy patient.


For laughs, check out this u-tube site....
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/920119/eating_cockroaches_catch_of_the_day/