A beetle, an insect. An insect that can be a… food. Believe it or not yes it is. Salagubang is usually sauté and fried by people in most provinces especially in Ilocos. I really can’t believe that an insect is made into a delicacy, a special delicacy until I tasted it.
When I first saw the “salagubang “ on the plate, I can’t afford to pick one and eat. I said to myself, those are the insects that we used to play in the province before when we were still young. Those are the “salagubang” that fell from our guava trees every time my cousins shook those trees during rainy season. We played with those insects, we tied thread on their neck and let them fly while we were holding the other end of the thread. So when I saw those insects on the plate I was surprised that it’s ok to eat it. I couldn’t believe it, I’m still not convinced that our stomach can digest it and that it’s safe to eat it.
Until finally, after seeing my friends eating, I said to myself “why don’t I give it a try, they didn’t die when they ate it, why should I not taste it”, then I’m ok. I calmed myself down, meditate a minute, got my softdrink to help me push the insect in my stomach, and prepared myself to eat the unbelievable food.
Then when finally the insect arrived in my mouth I was surprised by its taste, the cliché “don’t judge the book by its cover” came to my mind. It may look disgusting, but once you’ve tasted it you can forget that it is an insect.
Crunchy, alluring taste added with adequate amount of salt that perfectly blends with its innate juice. The taste sips through the mouth that you can’t talk once you’ve tasted it. It taste even better when you dip it in calamansi juice. Whew…its delicious, exquisite and gratifying I can’t help but to look for its taste. I can’t wait to eat more salagubang. Honestly I’m saliving while writing this paper the taste of salagubang is still in my mouth and I can’t forget it.
I realized that every creature that God has made is wonderful. Our nature is full of wealth that is hidden on our eyes and is just seen beyond its appearance. The salagubang is just an insect but that insect is not just a toy for little children, rather it’s a food that satisfies everyone’s hunger and helps us to live.
No comments:
Post a Comment