How do Madagascar hissing cockroaches soaked in whiskey with a hint of citrus sound as an appetizer? Python patties with applewood smoked bacon? How about stir-fried jellyfish, or scorpions, or alligator; how about kangaroo?

One NY chef thinks this is the food of the future. And why not? As the planet’s resources dwindle beneath the pressures of an ever-booming population, we may be forced to dine on these arthropodic–and other exotic–delicacies.

Chef Gene Rurka is serving just these dishes at the famed Explorers Club annual dinner held at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City tonight. The black-tie affair hosts world explorers, modern-day adventurers and their wealthy patrons. More than a few guests have climbed Mount Everest, walked on the moon, and visited the deepest depths of the ocean–a small entrance requirement necessary to indulge in tarantula fritters.

Rurka believes his dishes represent the food of the future. He points out that not only may it become a future necessity, but that insects and other exotic fare are already common foods in many cultures. True that.

And chef believes that it’s all in the presentation anyway. He uses a distinct method to ensure that the roaches look alive as they are served, by freezing them to death; then he soaks them in whiskey to bring them back to room temperature. He then injects them with Tasmanian leatherwood honey and a bit of soy sauce for a sweet-salty kick. Nice.


Hey, who can argue with that? Watch the video below to enjoy some of chef Rurka’s concoctions. I especially enjoy the woman who proclaims, “I just had the pork testicles, cooked in blood.” Right. Bon Appetit.