Eating bugs, anyone? With fried cicada sushi roll, Hong Kong-born chef in US promotes sustainable food and farming

Swarms of cicadas are emerging across the eastern United States after 17 years underground, and for one chef they are an alternative food source

Hong Kong-born Bun Lai used the occasion to show residents of Washington how to harvest, cook and prepare the insects for a meal

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Chef Bun Lai’s fried cicadas in a sushi roll at Fort Totten Park in Washington, the US capital. The Hong Kong-born chef used the emergence of millions of cicadas to promote food sustainability. Photo: AFP

Published: 1:15am, 28 May 2021Updated: 4:20am, 28 May 2021

After 17 years underground, swarms of cicadas are emerging across the eastern United States – and for one Washington chef, the rare bug invasion was his cue for a cookout, with a side of food ethics.

Bun Lai, an advocate for the sustainable food movement, invited locals for an insect hunt in a city park, followed by a taste of his fried cicada sushi.

“In a world where we’re suffering from the biggest pandemic in history – which is not Covid-19, but diet-related diseases – we’re going to have to take a revolutionary approach to how we’re used to eating,” he said.

Chef Lai prepares his fried cicada sushi at Fort Totten Park in Washington. Photo: AFP

Over the weekend, the Hong Kong-born American chef showed residents how to harvest, cook and prepare cicadas as a way to talk about alternative methods of farming and eating.

Billions of “Brood X” cicadas are appearing in US states including Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Indiana and Tennessee.