Edible Bugs Become Local Entrepreneur's Bread & Butter
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RICHARDSON (CBS11) - As Halloween approaches, anything scary, gory and gross is in big demand. Now, add bugs to the list. Edible ones.
"Red-headed centipedes, cricket flour and of course, your barbecued mole crickets," said Torrey Morgan with a laugh, as he lists his store's unique inventory. It would seem that Morgan's 'Meat Maniac' is something of a misnomer.
"I've got to come in for my bug fix," said customer Josh Polando. "Where else can I get that? Unless I go digging around in the dirt."
A recession era pink slip turned Morgan into an entrepreneur. Now, tarantulas and bugs have become his bread and butter.
"If you would have talked to me seven years ago and told me that I would be not only selling insects, but also eating them on occasion, I'd tell you that you were crazy," said Morgan from his Richardson store.
Moments later, he sampled a package of Sago worms. Morgan insists that the market for edible bugs is booming.
"Yeah, why not?" laughed customer Derick Russell. Russell says he usually shops for the 'less adventurous' items in the store like bacon and maple flavored coffee or the bacon salsa. But, today, was feeling adventurous. Halloween is approaching. Why not? He and Polando were game for sampling worms.
"Kinda taste like pork rinds," said Polando. And from Russell on the edible bug craze, "I wish I would've stumbled across this sooner, I would've been rich as a kid!"
Morgan says adults have turned Halloween into a multi-billion dollar play date. So, he's more than willing to eat crow, caterpillars and just about anything else. Gross factor, aside, Morgan says he anticipates edible insects becoming more mainstream.
"We always have to look to what the next big thing is going to be," said Morgan, "and yeah, I mean, we sell bugs. We have to keep an open mind, right?"
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