Cafe Rio Ahead of The Times

The story of a bug in a taco was exciting but was it that bad? It can be that our cafeteria was just ahead of the times.

Watch Incredible, Edible Bugs: Will Insect Meals Catch on in U.S.? on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

Don't eat the Tacos

I had a disappointing afternoon yesterday. I have eaten at the RioCafe a few times in the past couple of months and I have been very satisfied with the food. It was nice to find something to eat on campus that I liked (I was not a huge fan of what was here prior to the RioCafe). However, after yesterday, I will never eat at the RioCafe again.

I was in a hurry (in between class and a meeting) so I thought that the “street tacos” would be a good option for me. They were quick and they looked tasty. In fact the first taco (of three) was quite tasty. However, after taking a bite of my second taco, I looked down and noticed that something was not quite right.

Now, I am not quite sure what kind of bug that is, but I am fairly certain I ordered a Carne Asada taco, not some other form of international delicacy. I proceeded to walk around campus showing anyone and everyone that I could what I found in my taco. By the time it was over, I felt like maybe I was looking at this particular occurrence incorrectly. Maybe I was not the unlucky person that was thoroughly disgusted and borderline sick the rest of the day. Maybe instead I was the lucky one. Don’t I get a prize for finding the lucky roach? (NOTE: I don’t know whether it was a roach- maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t). Maybe instead the RioCafe wanted to give me some extra nutrition with my taco? Most edible insects are about 20% protein and many have some vitamin A, B₂, C, Calcium, Iron, and Magnesium (Banjo, Lawal,k and Songonuga, 2005). Was this just the Café’s attempt at a multivitamin?

Kinda gives a whole new meaning to “A Taste of Rio” doesn’t it?

References

Banjo, AD, Lawal, OA, Songonuga, EA. (2005). The nutritional value of fourteen species of edible insects in southwestern Nigeria. African Journal of Biotechnology 5(3), 298-301.