Karla's Kolumn: I'm not picky, I eat crickets

I have developed over the years a willingness to try new things. Now, that said, there are my favorites and there are things I just won’t eat, like broccoli. My husband and I have talked about this and some of our dislike of foods come from our childhood. He was made to clean up his plate, whether he liked the food or not. We were too, to a degree, we at least had to try it.

His least favorite food — tomatoes — of any shape or size, unless it comes very pureed in sauces like ketchup, but no chunks or slices.

I’m not a tomato fan but over the past few years I’ve been known to eat that cherry/grape tomato in my salad when we go to dinner. No, I won’t purposely buy them when I make my own salad.

My most disliked food is broccoli. It is mainly the smell when it is cooked. I mean seriously what was God thinking when he created that vegetable. It looks fine so my guess is He was thinking people would eat it raw and He never actually smelled it cooking.

I would try the broccoli at home until mother finally realized no one liked it but her and she finally gave up on that vegetable. In school you had to clean your plate – at least in Hamilton Dome and on the rare days we had broccoli it would be stuffed in my milk carton. I got away with it most of the time until one lunch lady checked my carton and, well, there went noon recess. But at least I didn’t have to eat the broccoli.

I have tried it raw, I don’t like the texture. Lightly steamed I can stomach if the smell isn’t too pungent.

My tastes have changed. I used to not like dill pickles and now I love them. I didn’t like sour cream and I do now. I didn’t think I would ever try guacamole, I think because, well, green dip is not appetizing but it is tasty.

I am more willing to try things and case in point Tuesday morning I knew there were going to be crickets for tasting thanks to an agriscience project by BreAnna Parra of Chief Washakie FFA. I joked with people asking if they were going to try it, knowing full well I would not.

Never say never.

I arrived at WESTI Ag days. I looked at her sampling of tiny crickets dipped in milk and dark chocolate. I watched a couple of hearty men give it a try.

I’m a chocolate lover so I said why not. The two gentlemen did not seem repulsed by it. So I popped a milk chocolate covered cricket in my mouth.

Now, here’s the thing about texture. If the cricket had been mushy I may have had to spit it out. But it was crunchy. The chocolate was good.

I took a co-worker back with me at lunch and we tried one not dipped in chocolate. The chocolate helps mask the taste of the cricket which was probably best described by Extension Educator Caitlyn Youngquist as “buggy” and tasting a little fishy.

Parts of the cricket have a tendency to stick in the teeth so best to have something to wash it down with if you ever try some.

BreAnna was smart in not getting large-sized crickets. People may have not been as adventurous to try them.

So, if anyone ever says I’m a picky eater, I’ll say no I’m not, I have tried a cricket … have you?

Note: We’ll have more on Parra’s agriscience project in the coming weeks.