The food: Fried Grasshopper

Where to find it: Street Stands, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

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Welcome to another edition of #FoodEntrepreneur Friday, where I serve up an order of international food with a side of guidance for entrepreneurs.

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Today’s post comes straight from the gut—literally. As I stared at the fried grasshopper crackling and flaking between my fingers, I remembered the old adage: trust your gut. As a westerner, I had never seen an insect cross my plate. But by the moment the above picture was taken, I had crossed into a new land: Cambodia. This country slithers with banyan tree roots & snakes, and it crawls with insects & dinner. Yep, that’s right; they eat insects on a regular basis here in Cambodia.

As a startup business founder, you’ll face new experiences and challenges, and the only way to deal with them is to trust your gut. I treaded exotic ground as I traveled through Cambodia. However, I did notice the locals popping insects into their mouths like popcorn. They’ve eaten the grubs for years. So, along with the “trust your gut” adage, I defaulted to the “do as the locals do” adage, as well. In the process, I learned that what’s strange won’t kill me and that perhaps I might eat insects in the not-too-distant, resource-scarce future.

Entrepreneur Steve Seabolt once told me: “As an entrepreneur, trust your gut. Trust your instincts. 90% you’ll find they’re right. Your gut instincts are the sum of your knowledge, experience and feelings.” I guess I can now add fried grasshopper to the sum of that gut experience.

Fried Grasshopper in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

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How to recreate your own Fried Grasshopper. This is probably one of the easiest recipes ever made.

Spread fresh, frozen and/or cleaned insects on paper towels on a cookie sheet. Deep fry (alternatively bake at 200 degrees for 1-2 hours) until crisp. You can check state of crispness by attempting to crush the grasshopper with a spoon.

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If you’d like to read about the experience of eating fried grasshopper, then read this #FoodEntrepreneur Friday post.