Will Hot Dogs Topped With Bugs Become A Creepy-Crawly Trend?

The future of food is crawling with culinary possibilities. As the world population continues to boom, scientists look for answers to sustain the earth's inhabitants. At the top of the solution short list: insects. They're plentiful, sustainable, and protein-packed. The Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto dedicated an entire exhibit to them. The show's Bug Bistro was crawling (and rolling) with creepy crunchies, including a cricket-topped hot dog.

The five-course menu was simple enough: tacos, spring rolls, a hot dog, a smoothie, and a deconstructed key lime pie. The catch was the each dish was topped with bugs — not just the hot dog but also the taco was sprinkled with crickets — or, in the case of the spring rolls and smoothie, actually made with mealworms and beetle larvae.

An editor at Vice who experienced the entire slightly nauseating meal from start to finish said each dish was "inoffensive" and surprisingly good, but nothing special.

"Just like crossing a rope bridge — something that doesn't come easily to someone with a deep-seated fear of heights like myself — the only time I felt queasy about what I was doing was when I looked down," Vice's Jordan Pearson wrote.

If you're still feeling squeamish, just remember that scientists predict that insects will become the sustainable diet of the future, so get ready to eat up!