CRICKET COOKIES

“Oh, my gosh!” I let out a big sigh. “If I see one more article telling me how delicious bugs taste I’m going to scream!” I tossed the magazine I’d been reading on the couch next to me.

“Hey, I heard they have a nice nutty taste to them.” Alex called from the kitchen. He came around the corner wiping his hands on a towel.

“Where’d you hear that?” He could see the skeptical look on my face.

“On the survivor shows Dad and I watch.” He went back in the kitchen to put the towel away before returning to the living room. “We watched one guy popping ants in his mouth saying it was like eating from a bowl of nuts.”

I shuttered. “That’s disgusting.”

Alex shrugged his shoulders. “Hey, when you’re trying to survive you do what you have to.”

“Okay, I get that. But I’m not out in the woods trying to survive!” I handed him the magazine. “They have a Michelin star chef trying to convince me to start making cookies with cricket flour!”

Alex said down next to me and skimmed over the article. “You know they’re already using ground up crickets in food. They just give it a different name so you’ll never know.”

“WHAT!” I sat up straight. “What are they calling it?”

Alex sat back thinking. “I’m pretty sure they call it acheta powder.”

I got up and went to the kitchen to go through our cabinets. “If they’ve been sneaking that in my food I’m going to scream!” I grabbed a box of crackers and began reading the ingredients.

Alex was right behind me laughing. “It’s mostly in protein powders and energy bars right now.”

“No acheta in this one.” I put the box back and grabbed a box cookies.

“I’m telling you it’s not really that common right now.”

“Not in here either.” I put the cookies back.

Alex patted me on the shoulders. “No one’s going to make you eat bugs.”

“Not yet.” I sighed. “But it’s coming.” I grabbed my phone out of my back pocket. “Okay, so they say it’s got a nutty flavor.” I typed in my next question. “What does cricket flour smell like?”

“Really?” Alex shook his head. “What made you think of that?”

“Because when I buy the live crickets for Max’s bearded dragon they STINK!”

Alex stood next to me when the answer popped up on my phone.

“It says the texture of cricket flour is similar to sand.” I looked over at Alex. “That sounds yummy.” I continued to read. “It’s dark colored about the same shade as dark brown sugar.” I shrugged my shoulders. “That no big deal.” I continued. “Cricket flour smells distinctly nutty, but also a little fishy!” I smacked my phone with the back of my hand. “I knew it!” I looked back at Alex. “Nothing is more delicious than a plate of freshly baked cookie with a slight fishy smell to it!”

Alex couldn’t help but chuckle. “What are you worried about? You haven’t baked cookies in years!”

I thought for a second and had to laugh. “Well now I’m never baking again!” I held up the phone for him to see again.

“Oh, yeah.” He shook his head as he headed down the hall to his room. “That’s the real reason you’re not baking cookies anymore.”

“That’s right!” I called after him. “And I’ll be sticking to that!”