7500
  • Features
  • About Us
  • Videos
  • Archive
  • The Secret success of Elmer Street
  • Flying High From Below: LA's Fernando Martin
  • Lip Candy
  • Wafa Jaffal & her journey in Post Production!
  • Guide to making a delicious arepas for your meal by Adolfo Can
  • Waterworld
  • Khanh's Kitchen
  • From Las Vegas to LA
  • Lighting the World Around Us: An Interview with Angela Gundelfinger
  • Eating Disorder Healthcare: Mishna Erana Hernandez
  • Take a Hike
  • The Next Big Name in Hollywood: Emily Ann Franco
  • El Cariso
  • Meet Our New Staff!
  • Meet Carlos Chavez!
  • Meet Nicole Favors
  • Meet David Petrosyan
  • Meet Brittney Strong
  • Meet Kaci Theros
  • Meet Katrina Molle
  • Hopping into the year of the Rabbit: Alhambra’s Lunar New Year Celebration
  • 2023 Solar Decathlon
  • Depop: A Circular Fashion Community

Bug Bites:
Top 5 Bugs to Eat Around LA

Written and Photographed by Ega Simbolon
​Los Angeles contains many peculiarities. It is a hub of culture; from entertainment, art and many unique cultural experiences. With numerous cultures residing in Los Angeles, traditional foods have become part of the norm in some restaurants, one food type in particular are bugs/insects. For those who want to take on the wild side of the culinary world in Los Angeles, give these a try:

​5. Spicy Silkworm Soup

Picture
Served inside Mok Maru Jong Sul Jip, this is not your usual Korean food fare that is popular in Koreatown. This unsurprisingly pungent meal is served to you extra hot, with a variety of spices, peppers, onions and whole lotta silkworms. It’s texture is reminiscent of beans and once you bite into it, it’s somewhat bitter and rubbery. It is served up in a cauldron reminiscent to the ones Harry Potter used to make his Polyjuice Potion (Probably taste the same too). You might want to order a side of rice to help with the flavor.

​Pro Tip: As Sul Jip is a bar, make sure their kitchen is open first, as they usually serve this meal for dinner.

Mok Maru Jong Sul Jip, 222 N Western Ave Los Angeles, CA 90004
​

4. Chapulines (Grasshoppers)

Picture
Anyone up for some tacos? In Guelaguetza, a Mexican restaurant strategically located in the heart of Koreatown, grasshoppers are fried up as is and served with a bed of tortilla, lettuce and a variety of salsas. It’s crispy, earthy and extra oily and it takes a few bites to chew down, but it’s definitely worth the try!
​
Guelaguetza, 3014 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90006
​

​3. Scorpions

Picture
Deep-fried on top of a delightfully savory shrimp toast, this one only shocks you visually, because the savory shrimp toast overpowers the scorpion. However, if one were to separate the scorpion from the toast, there’s not much taste on the scorpion, only salt from seasoning.

Typhoon, Santa Monica Municipal Airport, 3221 Donald Douglas Santa Monica, CA 90405
​

​2. Silkworm Pupae

Picture
This one is more of a snack. Fried to golden brown, the silkworms are presented with a variety of sauces from salt with chili oil, Sriracha, chocolate, spicy mayo and peanut sauce. One should try the silkworms by itself because using the sauces is basically cheating; you got to get the natural taste of the silkworms, which is different than Sul Jip’s offering. It’s crispy on the outside, and cold and smooth on the inside. However, if one must choose a sauce, it should be salt with chili oil.

Typhoon, Santa Monica Municipal Airport 3221 Donald Douglas Santa Monica, CA 90405
​
Picture

1. Crickets

Quite possibly the best choice out of all of the five, this one is also similar to a snack, served with fried chips,  fried onions, chili peppers. The crickets are deep fried to extra crispy, making it easy to chew. It is a light snack and you don’t really think of the oily texture of the crickets too much. If it were not in the shape of a cricket, people would eat this for days!

Typhoon, Santa Monica Municipal Airport 3221 Donald Douglas Santa Monica, CA 90405
​

Picture
<< Prev
Picture
Next>>
Picture

Links

Email 7500

 
​

7500

About Us
​

 

Contact

​Woodbury University
​

7500 N. Glenoaks Blvd
Burbank, CA 91504
© COPYRIGHT 2018
​ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Features
  • About Us
  • Videos
  • Archive
  • The Secret success of Elmer Street
  • Flying High From Below: LA's Fernando Martin
  • Lip Candy
  • Wafa Jaffal & her journey in Post Production!
  • Guide to making a delicious arepas for your meal by Adolfo Can
  • Waterworld
  • Khanh's Kitchen
  • From Las Vegas to LA
  • Lighting the World Around Us: An Interview with Angela Gundelfinger
  • Eating Disorder Healthcare: Mishna Erana Hernandez
  • Take a Hike
  • The Next Big Name in Hollywood: Emily Ann Franco
  • El Cariso
  • Meet Our New Staff!
  • Meet Carlos Chavez!
  • Meet Nicole Favors
  • Meet David Petrosyan
  • Meet Brittney Strong
  • Meet Kaci Theros
  • Meet Katrina Molle
  • Hopping into the year of the Rabbit: Alhambra’s Lunar New Year Celebration
  • 2023 Solar Decathlon
  • Depop: A Circular Fashion Community