Sudan: Locust indigestion

Posted by Ryan Sanderson Smith on 14 January 2010

Entry: 8 December 2009 (Day 56) Place: Wadi Halfa, Northern Border
Exit: 3 February 2010 (Day 113) Place: Gallabat, South Eastern Border
Place: El Fula, South Kordofan Province, Central Sudan
Date: 14 January 2009 (Day 93)

While visiting the Nuba Mountains of central Sudan, we dove headfirst into the market of the dirt-track town of El Fula, to stock up with supplies. By now I was well accustomed to such markets with a multitude of stalls selling bananas, oranges, grapefruits, mangos, watermelons, onions, eggplants, tomatoes, cucumbers, mounds of peanut butter, colourful spices and random hacks of meat with yellowing fat. This was, however, the first time that I had seen roasted locust.

I stared at it. It stared at me. I consider myself to have adventurous taste buds and I knew that I couldn’t turn down the challenge, so asked the friendly ladies behind the stall if I could try one. Ready to impress the whole market that was now watching me with interest, I crunched down and put on a face of satisfaction – which lasted about 5 seconds until the tasteless breaking of cartilage and insect parts became too much to bear.

I convulsively bent over and spat the remains of the chewed locust onto the floor, twisting my face into various displays of disgust. The market erupted into laughter and amusement.

Later that day, driving north to El Obeid, I was lying down on the back seat of the car with my arms over my head, when Gwyn asked if I was feeling all right. I smiled and chirped from under my arms, “Locust indigestion.”

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