Tastes like Popcorn

Everything seems to come in seasons and waves here in Guinea. One week there will be an infestation of little red bugs. A couple weeks later, tiny baby frogs will be under foot every second. After that might be the caterpillars. Well, a couple weeks ago was the night of the flying termites. (I think it was the night after one of the first big rains. Maybe that was their signal to come out.)

Our electricity situation has been better recently and our porch light was on that night. In the morning our porch was completely covered with wings and giant termites. They had also crawled under the door and gotten everywhere in the house. I got out the broom and swept them into a large pile in the yard. (Sorry... I didn't think to take a picture.) Later on, the guard's niece came up with a bowl to collect them. "Biti!" she excitedly exclaimed. "A nyaroun!" They're delicious!

She was going to eat the disgusting bugs that I had spent all morning sweeping out of our house. And she called them delicious. Dan, not wanting to miss out on a great cultural experience asked if he could try some when she was done frying them.

Here's a little video of what he thought of them. Meanwhile, I'm (not) sorry to report that my gag reflex prevented me from participating in this cultural exchange.