Word has it that Chef Rene Redzepi, who runs Noma, a restaurant named best in the world by Restaurant magazine, has a new topping for yogurt: LIVE ANTS. I know. Sounds a bit strange to put those creepy crawlers in your mouth, but could it be that this is actually good? Maybe we need eat cuisine that gets us back to our roots, which David Rosengarten deemed “primitivist modern.”
Now, before you jump to conclusions, Redzepi is no chef-gone-wild using a gimmick to attract us. He’s a master of recipe development, and his restaurant has been crowned with two Michelin stars. The progressive chef said that he enjoys the ants’ acidity, which he describes as citrusy, when combined with fresh yogurt.
So, THE BIG QUESTION: Would you eat live ants on yogurt?”
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NO! Because if I were that hungry, I wouldn’t be at this guy’s restaurant.
I can’t imagine myself eating live ants, either. Wouldn’t they crawl off of the plate? I foresee a pest problem.
I wouldn’t eat live ants. But for the wealthy people who eat at these kinds of restaurants, I can imagine it must feel very powerful to eat something that is alive.
I once ate a prix-fixe meal at a fancy place in Chicago (my friend had a free ticket). Each dish of the four course meal was paired with a beer, even the dessert (it was strawberry ale). And throughout the dinner, each consecutive dish was more amazing than the next. Or at least I thought so. The other people at our community-type table had been busy talking about their stocks in oil or diamonds, and pushing unwanted bits of steak to the edge of their plate, as they noted that the food was okay. They needed something different to make the food taste good, and I think the ingredient of live ants would’ve done it. It would’ve made these people feel like they are at the top of the food chain.
Zak, I love your comments. They’re always so thoughtful!
I will agree with you that palates can change relative to your daily diet. People who eat processed sugary foods all of the time tend to think that a piece of fruit is sour, for example. But I think that live ants on food is not as much about taste as it is about novelty. I can image button pins that each survivor of the dish proudly wears as he or she exits the restaurant reading: “I ate live ants at Noma Restaurant!”
lol
Yes I would love to try it for the love of food, but only once I think
Ha! So then, what is the craziest food (or non-food) you have eaten?