The Explorer's Club, NYC

[johnsmith45678]

Founded in 1904, the exclusive international club has some 3,000 members around the world including Edmund Hillary, the first man to climb Mount Everest, astronaut John Glenn and paleontologist Richard Leakey.

On the menu at a reception for some lesser mortals in June were worms, crickets, scorpions, ants and pigeon pate.

[...]

...tarantulas, maggots and exotic parts of various livestock such as eyeballs, testicles and penis...

Link

I searched but couldn't find mention of this here! It's a club in NYC? The scorpions are $35 each, the tarantulas $175.

Edited July 5, 2006 by johnsmith45678 (log)

[The Old Foodie]

Founded in 1904, the exclusive international club has some 3,000 members around the world including Edmund Hillary, the first man to climb Mount Everest, astronaut John Glenn and paleontologist Richard Leakey.

On the menu at a reception for some lesser mortals in June were worms, crickets, scorpions, ants and pigeon pate.

[...]

...tarantulas, maggots and exotic parts of various livestock such as eyeballs, testicles and penis...

Link

I searched but couldn't find mention of this here! It's a club in NYC? The scorpions are $35 each, the tarantulas $175.

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Is it the menu details you are interested in, or joining the club? or is it the insect eating that you want some more info on?

I have a couple of menus (or at least the details of a couple of menus) from the Explorer's Club annual bash, I can post them later if you are interested (I'm on my office computer now, menu stuff is on the home computer). They pride themselves on the exotica at these dinners, which I think used to take place at the Waldorf.

Insects form a large part of the diet in a lot of places in the world, and there have been other insect-eating dinners at other times and places, usually put on by enthusiasts who say we are neglecting a valuable source of protein.

There is at least one 19th c book (name escapes me right now) on the subject.

I did read once that we all eat about one kilo of insects a year, inadvertently, weevils, ants etc in flour, on veges etc.

[johnsmith45678]

I don't think I'd be interested in joining ;P, but I would be interested in seeing what their past menus were. I know a great many people in other parts of the world eat insects, etc., but being a prudish American I think I'd have as much difficulty eating much of that stuff as some of the contestants on Fear Factor. And, yeah, I think most people would be disturbed to find out what's in a lot of foods - I remember reading that peanut butter has a lot of ant parts.

[The Old Foodie]

I don't think I'd be interested in joining ;P, but I would be interested in seeing what their past menus were. I know a great many people in other parts of the world eat insects, etc., but being a prudish American I think I'd have as much difficulty eating much of that stuff as some of the contestants on Fear Factor. And, yeah, I think most people would be disturbed to find out what's in a lot of foods - I remember reading that peanut butter has a lot of ant parts.

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I'll post some details this evening, Aus-time.

I agree, it is often better not to know the details; I seem to remember an article about peanut butter (aka peanut paste here) - but it was rat s**t that was involved, with the "acceptable amount" mentioned - acceptable to the Food and Drug police that is. I think if we really knew what was in a lot of our food, we might all starve to death!

[H. du Bois]

Huh. I've never heard of it, and I've lived here a while (not that that means anything). At the Teddy Roosevelt house they have a snake and reptile club, but I don't think they eat them.

Some girl in my grammar school class did come in with chocolate covered bees once, though. Don't remember where she'd got them.

I've a book called Bush Tucker which was given me by an Australian friend. Do they still eat witchety grubs over there?

[Sneakeater]

Aren't they really known more for eating all sorts of weird kinds of game than for eating insects?

[The Old Foodie]

I've a book called Bush Tucker which was given me by an Australian friend. Do they still eat witchety grubs over there?

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I think we need chefBen to answer the Bush Tucker question, he is something of an expert. Bush Tucker is certainly becoming more popular. Where are you Benjamin Christie?

As for the grubs, there are still some aboriginals living semi-tribal lives who eat them - they are very nutritious. I did a post on <a href="http://theoldfoodie.blogspot.com/2006/05/grubs-and-roots.html">my blog</a> recently that discussed them.

Aren't they really known more for eating all sorts of weird kinds of game than for eating insects?

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They pride themselves on eating exotica at their dinners, although now eschew endangered species of course.

In 2001 – The “exotic buffet” served with drinks before the dinner proper included: Scorpions on blue tortillas, roasted crickets with sweet baby corn, mealworms with chive crème fraîche, and tempura tarantula in ponzu sauce. The tarantulas, in case you are interested, were chilled to “slow them down”, then sprinkled with cognac, put under the broiler to singe the hairs off, then put in a tempura batter. Apparently a few of the guests suffered some tingling and burning in the mouth due to the hairs being incompletely singed off.

[The dinner proper consisted of smoked trout, a choice of beef or sea bass and a coconut-mango gelato]

Some dishes at previous Explorer Club dinners:

1954 – fried termite eggs from the Congo, crocodile eggs from the Amazon, dried yak from Tibet, and polar bear, walrus, caribou and seal from the Arctic.

1981 – shark mousse, served on rounds of toast (I don’t know what else at this dinner)

1992 – Waoroni tapir, a terrine of wild mushrooms from Bhutan, Sitatunga Forestière (a tropical antelope in a mushroom-flavoured demi-glace); a mousse made of ballyhoo (apparently a bait fish) from the Tongue of the Ocean (off the Bahamas), roosterfish braised in wine and spices; kelp salad in Asian marinade and a stew of giant clams weighing 12 lbs each

If you want to see what else can be done with insects, there are two wonderful (?) menus at http://www.bertc.com/Banquet.html - one of the New York Entomological Society Centennial Banquet in 1992 , and one of a recreation of an explorers club dinner.

Edited to add: I think this thread should be in the Adventurous Eating forum, its getting quite scary

Edited July 5, 2006 by The Old Foodie (log)