Mmmmm...goopey thorax

You all are wonderful for remembering my birthday. Thank you so much for the wishes. A few days ago I was sitting on a bus thinking about the many travels we've already made and it didn't occur to me that my birthday was so close. We were on the road after that 6:30 wake up knock and I was so out of it I just stared out the window of our blazing hot mini bus as we pulled in and out of country side vending shacks. Now please don't think I'm criticizing the local retail establishments. In order for you to get an understanding of what I'm referring to when I say restaurant or store I have chosen words that may be used in the U.S. to describe the common structures we frequent in this region of the world. These places have great food, service and views so shack is but a brief way to assist you in creating a visual for what I'm seeing.

About 2 hours into our 6 hour trip we stopped at a rest stop for people to get food, use the bathroom and possibly stretch their legs. Everyone eventually exited the bus, including Mateo but I didn't really feel like moving. I stayed in my seat and stared out the window. Beneath 4 large patio style umbrellas lined up on the dirt driveway were ladies selling sweet fruits to the patrons who exited the bus. Meanwhile, along comes an independent vendor with fried frog bodies and some other fried meat I didn't recognize. "Wow", I thought, she had a great presentation of her product. The frogs were stacked on top of each other so you could see the whole of each individual piece. I had a great view too because she walked by with the basket on her head close enough for me to see the heads were all cut out.

Although I didn't recognize the other meat, I was more curious about the basket that she put her goods down next to. People seemed to really be into what ever was in that basket. Not too many people were getting frog but they were filling up bags with this other stuff. The stuff was going so fast the lady had to keep pilling more on top. By this time people were filing back on to the bus. Mateo had been close to that area so I asked him what was in the basket, he didn't know. "What do you think it is?..." We both watched a man bend down to inspect and then pop one into his mouth. Well based on the way he grabbed and chewed it I thought "oh they're dates" so when I looked over to Mateo I figured my thoughts would be validated especially since the lady across the isle from him had a bag of them. She had a bag and the people in front of us had a bag, I think every row on the bus had some except us.

We had to be sure so when the lady in front of us opened her bag and Mateo said they're crickets I was glad I didn't get off the bus to go get some "dates". Ok but how about they weren't even crickets but big, juicy, barbequed grasshoppers. The lady next to us was really generous and offered Mateo some. It was only because she caught him staring into her bag and from the look on his face I'm sure she thought he was salivating over a grasshopper snack. What he was actually recovering from was the glimpse he caught of the style of indulgence he had just witnessed. I couldn't see over the seat but from his view the lady plucked the legs off then separated the thorax from the rest of the body. It was at this point that she sucked the goop that seeped from the appendages of the insect. Shortly after we heard the bag to the right of us crinkle and its contents displayed before us with the invitation to reach in and partake. No thanks, we're fasting.

Joronda