I’ll Take A Pound Of The Cricket Snacks, Please

Mmm-mmm, on market day in Koshinzuka, they still sell inago tsukudani, scoops of Jiminy Cricket’s relatives all toasted up nice and crispy in a salty-sweet marinade. And what do they taste like, you may ask? Okay, I admit I chickened out of this one. But if they’re anything like shrimp tsukudani or tuna tsukudani or seaweed tsukudani, they taste like…tsukudani. A combo of soy sauce and sweet rice wine. Only maybe a little, uh, crunchier.

If you can get past the idea of bugs in your mouth, I bet they’re actually quite tasty. It’s snacks like these that made it possible to put a little extra protein in people’s diets during lean times, so the fact that people still buy them when there’s a McDonald’s right around the corner tells you they’re probably not bad at all.

If you’d like to visit the market on Koshinzuka Street the next time you’re in Tokyo, a map is on my website, The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had. The street market is held on the 4th, 14th and 24th of each month.

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