Wednesday December 19 9:16 AM ET

Cricket Cuisine Has Folks Jumping for Joy
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Residents in Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh are licking
their lips at the arrival of an annual insect delicacy -- giant egg-bearing
crickets.Female crickets, heavily laden with eggs in the cooler month of
December, have been snapped up in city markets by health-conscious Cambodians
who like to eat them deep fried or raw.``It's a delicious snack and good for
health,'' said Chhiv Heang, devouring a bag of fat crickets at the city's
Phsar Thmei (New Market).``We only get to eat them once a year,'' she
said.Cricket vendor Srey Khieng, 38, said business is brisk.With help from
her daughter, Srey Khieng can sell up to 44 pounds of crickets on a good
day.``They're selling out. People like to eat crickets carrying eggs because
they are good for malaria and colds,'' she said.Insects are a staple snack
food for Cambodians who also like to munch on tree ants, silkworms, water
beetles and the top local dish -- giant hairy spiders.Cricket hunters sell
the egg-bearing insects for $15.30 per kilo in December, vendors said.But the
price of crickets plummets to less than a dollar per kilo during the hatching
season early the next year.