Eating Tarantulas

By Marie Berliet

 On our way to the homestay, we had the opportunity to stop at a spider sanctuary and try tarantula and other bugs. Tarantulas are a delicacy in Cambodia, and are renowned for their healing abilities and taste. When we arrived, we were swarmed by children holding tarantulas and trying to place them on us to make a few dollars. 8 out of 13 of us tried the tarantulas while we were at the market and some more daring people even tried whole crickets. The tarantulas were crunchy and tasted more like the garlic sauce that was on them than anything else. While we were still in Phnom Penh, we went to a local grocery store and were able to buy snacks for the road. This was a fun experience because we were able to try new foods in both scenarios, but we were also able to get some snacks from home at the grocery store.

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