THEY'RE HERE!!

The Midwestern red eyed cicada's are here. They emerge from the ground every 17 years and their sole purpose is to mate. And beside being ugly, they're loud. Really loud! Ravinia, an outdoor music/theater venue in Illinois, has done their scheduling around the cicada's appearance. They haven't scheduled any classical music during the cicada's run because they were afraid the musicians wouldn't be heard. And a catering business here in Wisconsin has refused to do ice sculptures for any June outdoor weddings. Apparently 17 years ago they did one and as soon as they put it out the ice was immediately covered with the bugs. The owner said it looked like a moving mass of black.

I was at my sister's house in Illinois a few days ago and her lawn looks like it was aerated; you know, aeration is when you pay some guy a bunch of money to come and put holes in your lawn. There are millions of holes in her lawn where the darn things are emerging from. I find it all a bit disgusting. And people are EATING them! I saw a kid on TV say they taste like chicken. Some other guy said the taste was more like peanut butter. YUK!! Although they're only 1 calorie and are very high in protein. I've included a recipe for the Midwesterner's.

They only hang around for about 30 days, so they should be gone by the beginning of July. They emerge, mate, lay eggs, and die. I haven't seen any sign of them here. And frankly, I hope they stay to the south of us .......... in Illinois.

Soft-Shelled Cicadas
Ingredients:
1 cup Worcestershire sauce
60 freshly emerged 17-year cicadas
4 eggs, beaten
3 cups flour
Salt and pepper to season the flour
1 cup corn oil or slightly salted butter

Directions:
Marinate cicadas alive in a sealed container in Worcestershire sauce for several hours. (Note: You can skip this step and go directly to the egg step instead.)
Dip them in the beaten egg, roll them in the seasoned flour and then gently sauté until they are golden brown.

Yield:
4 main dish servings