Within about four hours, the Ramen Nagi restaurant had sold out of the 100 bowls of “insect tsukemen” noodles it had prepared for Sunday’s single-day event.
上周日，东京“拉面凪”餐馆举办为期一日的昆虫拉面品尝活动，还不到4个小时，100碗“昆虫沾面”就已销售一空。
The noodles were topped with about a dozen small crickets and mealworms, which customers then dipped into soups flavored with crickets, grasshoppers or silkworm powder.
拉面上撒了10多只小蟋蟀与黄粉虫幼虫。昆虫沾面的汤是以蟋蟀、蚱蜢或蚕粉熬煮而成。
“It’s deep-fried, so it’s really crispy, and it doesn’t have a bad taste,” said 22-year-old student Anri Nakatani. “It’s almost like a deep-fried shrimp.”
22岁学生中谷安里说：“（昆虫）是油炸的，口感酥脆，而且没有怪味，像是炸虾。”
The event was organized by the restaurant owner, and Yuta Shinohara, a 22-year-old who has set up insect-eating events in Tokyo, including a Valentine’s Day celebration that served chocolates, cakes and cocktails featuring insects.
此次活动是餐馆老板与22岁的篠原祐太联手组织。篠原之前已在东京举办过吃昆虫的活动。其中一场情人节庆祝活动的菜单包括昆虫巧克力、昆虫蛋糕以及昆虫鸡尾酒等。
Shinohara, who started eating bugs as a child, wants to promote the alternative food culture in Japan and around the world, through ramen, a popular Japanese food.
自小就吃昆虫的篠原表示，希望通过受欢迎的拉面，将这种另类的美食文化推广到全国与世界各地。
“Through ramen, I’d like to spread how fun and delicious it is to eat insects,” he said.
他说：“我想通过昆虫拉面告诉大家，吃昆虫有趣又美味。”
The full course, costing ¥3,000, consisted of insect ramen, a bowl of rice with crickets, spring rolls with fried worms, and ice cream flavored with insect powder. The ramen alone cost ¥1,500.
昆虫沾面套餐售价3000日元，包含一份昆虫拉面，一碗配以蟋蟀的米饭和炸虫春卷，以及昆虫粉口味冰淇淋。单独一份昆虫沾面售价为1500日元。
Insects are eaten in many countries, such as China, Ghana, Mexico and Thailand. Australia’s indigenous groups have eaten insects for protein for generations. Bugs are even part of traditional Japanese cuisine in rural areas, but few city dwellers have had the opportunity to try them.
在中国、加纳、墨西哥和泰国等许多国家，昆虫都被当成食物。澳大利亚的土著居民世代都靠食用昆虫来补充蛋白质。在日本乡村地区，昆虫也是传统美食之一，但鲜有城市居民有机会品尝昆虫。
California tourist Steve Lee enjoyed the dish, but said it would take time to catch on in the United States.
来自美国加州的游客史蒂夫•李很喜欢吃昆虫拉面，但他说这要在美国流行起来尚需时日。