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-Short Attention Span Theater-
Man Becomes Ill After Gorging on Cicadas
2004-05-18
A man who cooked and ate nearly 30 cicadas sought medical treatment after suffering a strong allergic reaction to the sauteed insects.
Wotta maroon.
The man showed up at a Bloomington clinic Thursday covered from head-to-toe in hives, and sheepishly told a doctor he’d caught and ate the cicadas after sauteing them in butter with crushed garlic and basil. "He said they didn’t taste too bad, but his wife didn’t care for the aroma," said Dr. Al Ripani, the doctor who treated the man at Promptcare East. The man, who has a history of asthma and shellfish allergies, suffered a "significant allergic reaction," after eating the cicadas, Ripani said. . . .

After living underground for 17 years and feeding on tree roots, the so-called Brood X cicadas are emerging by the billions across the Eastern U.S. Ripani said recent newspaper articles extolling the tastiness of cicada cuisine should have warned people that dining on the bugs can be dangerous for some people. "Severe food allergies such as this can be fatal," he said. "I feel that needs to be stressed in these articles." He said the University of Maryland’s department of entomology’s Cicada-licious cookbook, which includes recipes for Cicada Stir-Fry and Cicada Dumplings, contains a disclaimer urging people to consult a doctor before eating cicadas. "We ask that you please take special caution if you have other food allergies, such as soy, nuts or shellfish, or if you know of any contact allergies that you may have to other insects," it states.
Everybody, all together now . . . one . . . two . . . three . . .

EEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWW!
Posted by:Mike

#16  One is obliged to assume this moron thought that by ingesting cicadas he would get some sort of "buzz."
Posted by: Zenster   2004-05-18 12:52:32 PM  

#15  I should also state that I was in cicada-land in 1987 on vacation the last time they were around. Local TV news was full of cooking stories.

Some local chef was doing exactly as the man above, frying them in olive oil with basil and garlic.

He even coaxed the female reporter to try one.
I think it was a Baltimore TV station.
Posted by: BigEd   2004-05-18 12:30:18 PM  

#14  Never eat anything with red eyes.
Posted by: BigEd   2004-05-18 11:32:59 AM  

#13  One of the radio stations had a joke commercial for "cicada pizza" that they played to death.

Heh. It wasn't the station's commercial, it was a commercial for the regional "Snappy Tomato" pizza chain. They've said they'll run the ad again this time, but I haven't heard it yet.

"Snap! Snap! Snappy Cicada Pizza!"
Posted by: Robert Crawford   2004-05-18 10:41:23 AM  

#12  You don't seem to want to accept the fact that you're dealing with an expert in guerilla warfare. With a man who's the best, with guns, with knives, with his bare hands. A man who's been trained to ignore pain, to ignore weather, to live off the land. To eat things that would make a billy goat puke. In Vietnam his job was to dispose of enemy personnel. To kill, period! Win by attrition. Well, Rambo was the best!
Posted by: Trautman   2004-05-18 10:29:03 AM  

#11  Yeah, Bulldog, I think this one deserves at least an Honorable Mention in the Darwin Awards.

Maybe his example will inspire some idiot to take it to the next level . . .
Posted by: The Doctor   2004-05-18 9:48:23 AM  

#10  every 17 years there's a group of a-holes that appear on the news all smiling and assuring that the red-eyed BUGS taste like chicken when prepared just so...no, they taste like BUGS dammit! If you're not in survival school training, and you eat bugs, you're an idiot, sorry
Posted by: Frank G   2004-05-18 9:38:11 AM  

#9  This gives me a movie Idea: Cicadas vs. Killer Bees - Who's got bigger antenni?
Posted by: Charles   2004-05-18 9:33:09 AM  

#8  Wife: "damn i told u to get rid of the bugs, not eat them"
Posted by: sakattack   2004-05-18 9:09:45 AM  

#7  Seems to me like Darwin's ghost's nudging someone in the ribs here.
Posted by: Bulldog   2004-05-18 8:57:04 AM  

#6  I was in law school in Cincinnati during the last emergence. One of the radio stations had a joke commercial for "cicada pizza" that they played to death.

Never thought anyone would actually want to eat one of those ugly little suckers.
Posted by: Mike   2004-05-18 8:52:31 AM  

#5  Mmmm! Promptcare East Bloomington IN is a few blocks from my brother's house. Can't be him tho cos I'm the one who does dumb crazy things.
Posted by: Phil B   2004-05-18 8:28:04 AM  

#4  Hmmmm,a new defenition to the ter"bugging out".
Posted by: Raptor   2004-05-18 8:09:51 AM  

#3  One estimate I've heard has 5 billion of them appearing in the Cincinnati area.

Anyone up for some stir-fry?
Posted by: Robert Crawford   2004-05-18 8:07:35 AM  

#2  Man Michael Moore Becomes Ill After Gorging on Cicadas
Posted by: Bill Nelson   2004-05-18 7:34:15 AM  

#1  Yeah that garlic bad stuff.
Posted by: Shipman   2004-05-18 7:21:35 AM  

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