This mystery photo is of a type of palm weevil that lives in the Amazon basin. Since protein is very difficult to come by in the rainforest, the palm weevil is an important food source for people in the rainforest. We found these in the Belen market in Iquitos. We decided that we should give them a try. They were not all that good, but they also weren't as bad as we thought they might be.
When you're traveling in foreign cultures it's important not to make judgments about other people's cultural habits. Just because people willingly eat bugs doesn't make them weird. In fact, I know some people from the United States who have some pretty unusual eating habits. It's important to be sensitive to differences in cultures, because the last thing we would ever want to do is offend someone or make them feel like they are strange. No matter who you are, being made to feel different or strange doesn't feel good.
We'll keep our eyes out for more palm weevils, and maybe even eat some more!
