Don’t Eat Cicadas if Allergic to Shellfish

Sometimes life is stranger than fiction.  

A few days ago, the FDA felt the need to warn people with shellfish allergies not to eat cicadas.  

I have a simpler suggestion – DON’T EAT CICADAS EVER!!!

According to the New York Times…

The advice from the Food and Drug Administration comes as the current group of cicadas, known as Brood X, emerges from the ground on its regular 17-year cycle. The shrimp-sized, beady-eyed bugs with almost translucent wings are being prepared by professional chefs and at home in a variety of ways this year.

Some prefer them deep-fried and others like them tossed into their Caesar salad. Bun Lai, the chef of a sustainable sushi restaurant in Connecticut, will present them with a fine-dining experience at his farm. And Frank’s RedHot, the 100-year-old hot sauce brand, released a string of cicada recipes including caramel ’cada corn, chili lime ’cada tacos, and a cicada “parm” slide…

I want to be clear; I am not a squeamish eater.  I eat almost anything and have traveled the world looking for the wildest foods to eat.  

But cicadas?  That is a line I will not cross, and I don’t recommend that you eat them either.  

Even if cicadas are healthy for you, you can’t know what pesticides and other residual chemicals may be on their bodies.  And, while some sources say cicadas are gluten-free, high in protein, low in fat, and low in carbohydrates, I am certain that cicadas have not been studied or passed through normal food processing protections.  

So, please take my advice…

DON’T EAT CICADAS EVER!!!

Mark Sunshine

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