OUR FIRST TIME WITH EDIBLE INSECTS

edible insects staff stories
Eating Edible Insects for the first time is something you just don’t forget. Whether we were excited, nervous, or downright queasy about trying these creepy crawly yet super sustainable ingredients, we all lived to tell the tale!
Kim:
I’d been working here at Marx for two weeks before Justin and Ryan said, “Okay, we’re ready for some recipe development.”And so I said “Great, let’s get it rolling.”
And then they said, “For all the edible insects.”
And I thought, “Are you hazing me?”I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how tasty some of the insects are. Others, not so much. I can see why
Becca:
I sheepishly tried one of the Chile Lime Crickets Kim made for that photoshoot. Once I actually put it in my mouth it wasn’t so bad, but definitely not my favorite. That said, I straight up devoured a bag of cookies made with cricket flour that didn’t quite make it through a tasting panel a few months later. Moral of the story? I’m way more pumped to eat insects when they don’t LOOK like insects. Cognitive dissonance, ya’ll!
termite salad
Annie:
No comment.
Matthew:
I felt obligated to taste them to uphold my honor as a food writer (I try to never say no).  I did so multiple times, once on a tasting panel to approve for sale, again for flavor profiles to describe them on the store, and in various recipes.  But insects make me extremely uncomfortable & I’d rather not relive these experiences in order to describe them in depth.
Veronica:
This was actually well before my time at Marx Foods. My parents grew up eating edible insects so when they got their hands on crickets again in the states, they were ecstatic. They couldn’t wait for me to try them and in grade school, I was simply not a fan. Nowadays though, I’d definitely recommend the Chapul Cricket Bars and Beetle Larvae.
beetle larvae salad
Tracy:
My first experience was in the Marx Foods test kitchen! We tasted all of the “bugs” before they hit the website and retail store. It was also my very first tasting panel as an employee for Marx Foods. Needless to say, they weren’t scary enough to turn me away, but a very hilarious tasting panel nonetheless. Justin was the bravest one and ate a giant water beetle that nobody else would touch.
Katy:
It wasn’t as bad as I would have thought. But I didn’t try to eat the rhino beetle. Because fuck that. 

Wondering about those giant rhino beetles and water beetles? Check out this video from that infamous tasting panel.

Have you tried edible insects before? Tell us all about your first time trying them in the comments!
Becca Lee wrangles our social media accounts, blogger contests, and general marketing work as the Marketing Coordinator for Marx Foods. You can check out one of her many hair colors and read more about her (and her ridiculous sweet tooth) here.

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