Protein Rich

Termite season has officially begun!  For the past two days, while recovering from some kind of stomach illness, I have not eaten anything of substance until this evening when I was riding my bike home through a swarm of termites and I swallowed a few unlucky ones that flew into my mouth when I was forced to breath.  This year’s termite season kicked off yesterday with a bang when, after our first heavy rain, the sun came out and hundreds upon thousands of winged termites came spewing out of their conspicuous earthen chimneys.  The bright pink sunset illuminated the skies and provided a perfect backdrop to admire the spectacle.  People in my neighborhood were outside, as always, being entertained by the gathering display. The termite’s iridescent wings flapped so furiously through the air that they created a euphoric halo around their small, yet substantial buggy bodies.  After flying freely in the warm night air the termites then drop their wings and are forever forced to scuttle around on the ground below. The sheer magnitude of termites flying through the air was impressive (in an ‘Armageddon’ attack of the locusts kind of way) as was the river of wings littering the ground after the metamorphosis. 

Throughout this time of year locals wait patiently with hand-woven nets to catch the insects flying in mass droves out of their colonies.  They fry them up and eat them with a dash of salt for a protein rich, nutty snack.  During my ride home tonight I attempted to dodge the darkened clouds of termites with little success, getting pelted in the face and across my body.  As gross as this may sound I was really trying to fight back a smile from my face.  Why was I smiling you ask (or perhaps you weren’t asking because you already know I’m crazy)?  Well, I realized at that moment I had arrived in Malawi at the end of the termite season last year.  This time around I didn’t have 101 questions to ask about the wild phenomenon because I already knew the answers.  I was in no less a state of awe this second go round but I had the knowledge and that warm, cozy feeling of familiarity slapping me in the face with their wings.  Perhaps I should get myself a net…