Bugs have never caught on as a food source in the Western world, but one Washington, D.C., restaurant held a stunt for charity this week that could change some minds.
On Wednesday, a one-day event at a Pennsylvania Avenue eatery served piping hot insects to brave visitors who tried the unusual dishes in the name of charity, CBS DC reported.
For every person who competed in the cricket-eating contest, J.C. Ehrlich, the extermination company backing the event, gave $20 to a D.C. community kitchen.
Called the "Pestaurant on Pennsy," the one-day bug-eating venture featured such dishes as grasshopper burgers, crispy barbecue mealworms and scorpion lollipops, according to CBS.
The pest company reminded visitors that bugs are a healthy source of protein while having low fat content as well as B vitamins and minerals like iron and zinc.
While 12 countries participated in the event, which commemorated the 85th anniversary of exterminator company Rentokil, D.C. was the only place in America that joined the bug-eating fest.
For the grasshopper burgers, the dish included "grasshoppers with minced turkey, bibb lettuce, piquillo peppers and avocado puree on a sweet potato roll," according to The Washington Post blog.
The lunch was free, and Ehrlich additionally donated $6 for each person who tried one of the bug snacks, the Post's Tim Carman wrote.
The event raised around $6,000 for D.C. Central Kitchen, according to News Tonight Africa.
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