August 1st, 2005 | The lowdown by Aliwyn Cole

Creepy Crawly Snacks; A Gourmet Guide to Insects, Amphibians and Arachnids.

Fancy a snack? Feeling a bit peckish? Thailand always has plenty of snacks on offer, ranging from fried bananas, green mango, and deep fried delicacies such as hotdogs, spring rolls, and chicken claws. Yum! Have a quick stroll around the food area of one of many markets, and you are likely to find deep-fried insects and other bizarre-yet-edible creatures, if you fancy it.

The sight of silk worms, dung beetles, and grasshoppers has become normal for me during my daily grocery shopping. I have indeed tasted the local favorites - silk worms and frogs - and neither is too bad, actually.

Last week, however, at a fair on the beach, I noticed a tray of - Can it be? Bloody hell it is! - baby birds!. Yes, lots of baby birds, beaks agape in the certainty of being deep fried. I wouldn’t have thought there would be a lot of meat on a baby bird. I am informed that the beaks, eyes, and claws are what make it a delicious snack.

This made me curious as to what else they might consider eating. Snake meat is a well-known reward for killing the morning intruder in the bathroom. Dog is popular near the borders of Cambodia. So tonight, when I found a tray of deep fried black scorpions, I was not particularly surprised. They were identical to the one I found in the bathroom months before. Little did I know it was actually a tasty snack had kept me out the bathroom all night. A friend informed me that the black scorpion is an aphrodisiac, as are many of the insect snacks, and that is partly the reason why they are so popular.

I buy one just for the novelty, and take it back home, to set on a plate. As I look at it, I am relieved it is deep fried. Two beady eyes are fixed on mine, and its big, fat claws pointed right towards me.

The scorpion is about the length of my middle finger, not including its tail, which is curled back over a big fat body. I have one question on my mind-how the hell am I meant to eat it? Are there any poisonous parts? I am informed that it is not a poisonous scorpion, and that first you eat the tail, then the claws, and finally the head. Anything which is soft enough to chew, basically, is eaten.

I open up the tail to find quite a lot of dark brown meat. I take a bite-the skin is really hard, and the meat tastes a little bit like liver, with the consistency of pate. That’s enough for me; it is not really my taste. Maybe I’ll try the baby birds next