TAIWAN: Trendy Taiwanese tuck into the latest fad in organic food -- worms.

Finding bugs in your food might not always be a disgusting thing. Taiwanese city dwellers are heading for the countryside these days to savour ant fried rice, deep fried scorpion in chili pepper or bamboo worms -- the latest in the island's fashionable organic food scene. Each dish at the Ho-la restaurant costs around 15 U.S. dollars which is considered relatively expensive in the country. For years, meat was considered costly and rarely made appearances on the dinner table and people in rural areas looked to bugs and worms as their major source of protein. But now, the tables have turned and creepy crawly proteins have become a delicacy which is not only nutritional but is believed to boost sexual performance. "From the point of view of Chinese medicine, eating worms makes men strong. And it works," said 71-year-old Wang Jian-chung from Tainan city, accompanied by his wife. In the past 30 years, as Taiwan has developed rapidly into an industrialized country, and worm cuisine has became mostly a thing of the past, a culture on the verge of being forgotten. But the farming village of Lutsao in Chiayi, 260km Southwest of capital Taipei. has managed to successfully market the tradition and gourmands from all over the island come to taste the primitive luxury. "People in the city eat junk food with lots of fat and chemicals. I suggest they come here and eat something more natural and simple so they will be very healthy," said Lin Ming-chih, the owner of "Ho-la". The restaurant specializes has concocted numerous dishes using worms to appeal to a wide range of customers. It has been in business for the past fifty years when Lin's grandfather cooked up worms by villagers who brought them in after catching them. "I'm not scared. It tastes good. Savoury, crispy and crunchy. Delicious," said Wang Mei-hui.

ITN Source | November 4, 2006

Tags:. .deep. .costs. .costly. .capital. .strong