Ancient Egyptians revered the dung beetle, believing that the divine scarab rotated the world like a giant dung ball. But in rural Thailand, the insect has traditionally been valued for its more functional uses, primarily as a culinary delicacy. In the past, Thai farmers were known to stake claims to buffalo droppings as their private property to protect the valuable beetles burrowing away inside. Dung beetles are best eaten as pupae, the inactive state, or as adults, after they have been purged in water for a few hours. With the advent of mass tourism in Thailand, dead dung beetles have become a popular souvenir item, sold for as much as 400 baht (nearly 10 dollars).

At first, the very idea of eating dung beetles absolutely mortified me. Who wouldn’t be scared silly at the mere thought of chomping away on an insect that spends most of its life rolling around in buffalo feces? So when it came time to face the horrible six-legged, dung-dwelling insects, I couldn’t help but feel the need to puke. As I was handed the insect, I noticed how disgustingly shiny the bug was. My stomach churned. I held my breath and without a second thought, I plopped the rotund beetle in my mouth. Crunch. I flinched, but kept on chewing as I tried desperately to shove the bug down my throat. At first it had a slightly salty taste that resembled the seaweed sold at Asian supermarkets. Yet as I kept chewing, the seaweed taste started going away, and was replaced by a putrid bitterness that reminded me of burnt babeque coal.

All in all, I hope that I never have to encounter one of these disgustingly detestable insects ever again, whether it’s rolling around in a pile of poop or sitting prepepared and dehydrated on my plate.