Earlier this year, Linger put crickets on its menu. Unsurprisingly, reactions have been mixed.
The menu at the popular Highland restaurant has served cricket tacos, cricket tamales and cricket empanadas over the last few months. And as Denver 7 reports, it's not easy to convince people that bugs belong in their food, or even near it.
"The thing about bugs is there is kind of a fear with them," Jeremy Kittelson, culinary director at Linger, told Denver 7.
And sure enough, when a reporter asking diners about it, even the bravest were a little hesitant.
"I'm not going to be trying any crickets today, no thank you," one man said.
Jean McGinnis told the reporter, "I would try a crunchy cricket. For sure, I would. Maybe not a whole one. I would need to work my way up to that."
I once tried crickets. I was assured they were a salty, crunchy, nutritious snack. All of these things are true, but that didn't change the unpleasant feel of whole dead bugs in your mouth.
Smartly, Linger doesn't serve them that way. The crickets -- which come from Colorado's only insect farm, Rocky Mountain Micro Ranch -- are ground up before they go into the food.
"The thing we did well was we made the dish delicious, and people actually enjoyed it," Kittelson told 7.
Crickets are a good source of protein, iron, calcium and B12, so next time you're feeling adventurous, give them a shot.
