Wednesday, april 26, 1978
daily nebraskan
page 3
Recipes worm their way into judges3 hearts, stomachs
By Mary Fastenau
The worm industry has opened a new
can that will not be found on the grocer's
shelf.
Worms have yet to find their way into
connoisseurs' hearts, but they did squiggle
their way into the University of Nebraska
at Omaha Monday.
The worms crawled into recipes for
pizza, breakfast rolls, crepes and fritters.
The judges cast their teeth into the worm
dishes prepared by a beginning home econ
omics class at UNO, and then cast their
vote for the winning culinary creation,
The whole story would sound "fishy"
to me, but I was one of the judges and am
living proof that you do not have to have
fins to eat worms.
The other brave ones who shared the
experience were Peter Citron, Omaha
World-Herald reporter; Fred Thomas, Oma
ha World-Herald reporter; Jane Johnson,
reporter for the UNO campus newspaper,
Gateway, and Bill Knipscher of Continent
al Ecology Farms, Omaha.
Before the contest, the five best recipes
were selected and prepared.
The judges sat around a table. Red wine
set a social precedent, since there are no
etiquette rules to govern worm consump
tion. We were provided with a score card on
which to rate the food on appearance,
flavor, texture, odor and color.
I looked at the blank faces of my fellow
judges and took the first bite of pizza. It
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had looked very ordinary on my plate, but
wondering how it would taste squirming
my stomach.
I took the bait (or at least a bite) and
prepared myself. The worms were covered
with tomato sauce, peppers and sausage.
I glanced at the other judges and saw
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that the first bite had also surprised them.
Their expressions and comments had
formed a consensus that eating worms was
not bad.
My next target was the breakfast rolls.
They were covered with a sticky, brown
sugar glaze and had risen to delicious
heights. The top of the rolls were
decorated with brown shreds that looked
like dry grass. I knew this would be the
true test since there were no flavors to
mask the worms.
I again mentally prepared and took a
bite. It was good!
The worm flavor was more evident this
time, but the rolls tasted like fish - only
crunchy.
The third food was the cookie. The
worms were lost in a crowd of chow mein
and covered with a rich chocolate flavor,
There was not a hint of worm flavor in this
creation.
Next came the Crepe de Verre de Terre,
whose elegant name adorned a not-so-elegant
foodstuff. There was a feeling of
crunchiness, but again, no violent reation.
My next conquest was the Earthworm
Supreme, a type of fritter, which was
accented by bits of visable brown worm. It
also tasted similar to fish but with an
added crunch.
The judges looked around the table
again. This time their expressions were full
of questions. Who was the winner?
The only way to decide was by a second
tasting. Each judge took a second bite,
then a third and a fourth, their thoughts
seemed to move as slowly as their mouths.
Finally each judge reached a conclus
ion and handed in results for tabulation.
The worm pizza was pronounced win
ner, followed by the cookies and then the
crepes.
Knipscher, of Continental Ecology, said
the winner will be awarded $50 and the
recipe will continue in the national contest.
Second place earned $30 and third place
$20.
The national contest will be held in
Los Angeles May 24, he said, and three
finalists in that contest will be flown to
California for the final cooking.
Despite my initial fright, eating worms
can be a learning experience. When I am in
the position of the childhood ditty, "no
body loves me, everybody hates me," eat
ing worms may not be a bad alternative.
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KOffl m lap a k
Few things in life are as rewarding or as easy as tapping a keg of cold
Schlitz draught beer, providing you follow a few simple rules:
1. Do not roll the keg down a hill before attempting to tap it.
2. Do not pump in too much pressure after tapping. This can force
the natural carbonation out of the beer and make it foamy.
3. If the person tapping the keg makes either of these mistakes,
politely point out the error of his ways. Unless, of course, he weighs
265. plays tackle, and goes by the nickname of Moose. In this case
you should simply say. "Nice goin' Moose!"
To get a keg for your next party, call Siglinda's Beer Person on
Campus, or iook in the yellow pages under "Beer"
Class dismissed.
IF YOU DON'T HAVE SCKUTZ,
YOU DON'T HAVE GUSTO.
Siglinda SteinfuNer
Dean of Beer
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