Horrors! Will We Eat Anything?

Here at Misky, we’ve been fascinated by people who will take peyote, drink absinthe, consume bath salts, and lick toads.  However, the August 2012 issue of National Geographic brings out an amazing food item used as an aphrodisiac.  The yartsa gunbu.

Not having imbibed in this parasite, we have no idea if it works. What we read though is horrifying. The demand for this limited commodity, found only in impoverished areas of Tibet and China, has led to battles. Deaths, beatings, knives and guns: Territorial skirmishes between desperate people who want the money for this has escalated in recent years.

This parasite fungus invades the caterpillar’s body, and when it consumes enough of the larva, it erupts through the soil and extends a stem that emits spores. People, crawling on their hands and knees for 12 hours a day, locate and harvest these parasites.

That people have to die for a rare parasite seems a waste, yet time and again, we see this very drama played out. We try to document these as they come across our desks.

We like horror fantasy at Misky, but the horrors of reality still amaze us.