As I’m sure many of you are aware, the 17-year periodic invasion of the Brood X cicada is almost upon us. This May billions of cicadas will invade the eastern seaboard for several months before laying their eggs and dying, allowing their offspring to lie dormant for another 17 years. As my friend Toby pointed out in an e-mail some time ago, the last time they were around was our freshman year in high school; sure makes you feel old, doesn’t it? I vaguely remember what a nuisance they were, and I’m sure this time around will be no different.
However, some people are taking a more pragmatic approach. Cicadas almost made the menu at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), where executive chef Frank Belosic asserts that “freshly molted cicadas should be rolled in flour, pan-fried in olive oil, and finished with a sauce of white wine, butter and shallots.” The idea was squashed by “‘higher-ups,’… in order not ‘to scare people away.’” Personally, I’m with the higher-ups…
