YOU WANT RAID WITH THAT?
Dear Dave --
I work in southern Japan as a public school English teacher, and one of my favorite books is Dave Barry Does Japan. It always makes me feel better when I'm a little culture-shocked or homesick. I wanted to write in with an update on the food situation here. Until today, I thought I was pretty familiar and comfortable with Japanese food, having even tried horse sashimi at one point, but this afternoon, I went to the staff lunchroom to discover rice balls with mushrooms, cabbage, carrots, and hornet larvae. I was sure that it was a prank by the school principal, but several of the teachers informed me that this is relatively common in the Japanese countryside in autumn. Apparently, things are much worse here than we thought.
-- Garrett Groesbeck
I'm betting being a health inspector is not an easy job.
--"I'm going to have to write up a violation here, unless that is on the menu . . ."
Posted by: Martini Shark | September 21, 2011 at 09:52 AM
ugh. not sure i'm comfortable eating, ahem, any kinda balls, rice or otherwise....
Posted by: queensbee | September 21, 2011 at 10:07 AM
I heard they go really well with tea. Made from tea bags, of course.
Posted by: 9 | September 21, 2011 at 10:28 AM
I much prefer wasp larvae over hornet larvae.
Posted by: Andrew Zimmer | September 21, 2011 at 10:33 AM
Is it organic hornet larvae? I hate that microwave stuff.
Posted by: nursecindy | September 21, 2011 at 10:48 AM
I hear it stings a bit.
Posted by: wiredog | September 21, 2011 at 10:55 AM
You mean hornet maggots?
Posted by: Loudmouth | September 21, 2011 at 11:00 AM
Didn't Hornet Larvae open for Whitesnake?
Posted by: Jeff Meyerson | September 21, 2011 at 11:13 AM
Not sure it was hornet, but you could always find buckets of some kind of insect larva for sale in the parks of Seoul - probably a remnant of one of the many Japanese invasions of Korea over the years. I think you just bought what you could eat-- not a whole bucket.
Posted by: Mazar Larry | September 21, 2011 at 12:00 PM
I know what you mean, Queensbee. I've always wondered what they do with the rest of the matzo after making the soup.
Posted by: Ernie G | September 21, 2011 at 12:51 PM
Well, it seems these is one of their exotic delicacies. It's way better than the Fetus soup.
Posted by: paulstrecker | September 21, 2011 at 01:25 PM
Poor Garrett. Maybe you could get in touch with our friend Joe in Japan and meet for a pizza with corn.
Posted by: Guin | September 21, 2011 at 01:55 PM
I know of no law in the US that would prohibit this excepting fraud or deception in the presentation and sale.
With few exceptions, a manufacturer doesn't have to prove food safe, just that it is not unsafe.
You can go into a restaurant and order a raw hamburger and get one (if the restaurant agrees). But the restaurant better not advertise a raw hamburger as being safe.
Confused? It depends on assumption of liability.
Before the Internet, I would have said that anyone selling grubs for food would go broke lightning-quickly.
Now, I don't know.
Posted by: Steve | September 21, 2011 at 03:07 PM
I did a graduate fellowship in Japan. My Japanese friends would take me out, load me up with Kirin, Asahi and sake, and then make me eat things that they wouldn't identify until after I had eaten them. I learned to gauge the relative repulsivity by the amount of laughter spewing from them while I chewed and said, "Napukin o motte kite kudasaimasuka? (May I have a napkin)." Aah, good times.
Posted by: Layzeeboy | September 21, 2011 at 03:57 PM
Strictly speaking, layzee, "motte kite" is usually translated as "bring" (literally: "motte" = "carrying"; "kite" = "come"). So, "please bring (me) a napkin".
Posted by: Richard the Weasel-Hearted | September 21, 2011 at 05:54 PM
Have they never heard of pizza? Bleah!
Posted by: eil | September 21, 2011 at 06:11 PM