Don’t eat cicadas if you’re allergic to seafood, the FDA warns

> All insects belong to the phylum Arthropoda, which refers to their “jointed appendages,” and so do shrimp, lobsters and crayfish, noted Jerome Grant, etymology professor at the University of Tennessee’s Institute of Agriculture.

I assume they mean entomology, unless they decided to interview linguists for this article.

I've never heard of people eating cicadas, but I did have a dog when I was growing up who would catch them out of mid air and eat them. It was impressive to watch but the sound of them buzzing around in his mouth and then being squished to death in his throat still grosses me out.

I love shellfish and am not at all squeamish about the heads or veins on shrimp or biting into the crunchy body of a soft shell crab, but even though I can see the similarities, thinking about eating a cicada gives me the heebie-jeebies.

I wish I understood disgust better then I do.

It's weird until you are living in a culture where it's not weird. Doesn't take long for curiosity to overcome any reservations and you can always find insects prepared in more appetizing ways. Source: my time spent eating insects including worms and protein flour.

A chef friend in DC tried this recently. They say marinated + fried they are good, like mild shrimp. Roasted however, and you get a snack that is crunchy on the outside with a "goosh" as you bite in. Not recommended.

Can't exactly say i was planning to, but i guess this is good to know