Grubs make good grub
Mar 14th, 2008 | By admin | Category: FoodsAs the lively 12,000-strong crowd at the Wildfoods Festival was forcing down offal, insects and other barely edible eats, Westland charities were enjoying one of their biggest fundraisers. Most of the 90 stallholders are local charity or non-profit organisations and for many, Wildfoods is their major fundraiser.
Hokitika Guides started collecting 2500 garden snails in November. Business at their stall, Westcargots, was far from slow, with proceeds going to fund leadership training.
For the Hokitika branch of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, pickled, honeyed and fresh punga segments were the major fundraisers.
At a huhu grub stand, Hokitika Hockey Club members were cutting up rotten logs to extract the live grubs. Tui Jackson, 13, who had the job of selling grubs, was unfazed by the thick white wrigglers in her container. Money raised would go to new equipment and reducing club fees.
Waipara sheep farmer Daryl Harris had an international cause for his barbecued sheep tails _ raising money for a Filipino friend to study in New Zealand. He brought 3000 tails to barbecue on a cooker he made from an old truck deck using a plasma cutter and a welder.
The smell of burning wool - and at one point Harriss eyebrows - wafted across part of Cass Square. Once cooked, the wool is removed revealing a scrawny piece of flesh.
I keep telling people dont eat with your eyes but once they eat them once they just love it. Ive sat down and eaten 100 of these things easy.
National Party leader John Key was among the crowd and described a deep-fried beetle on baguette from the Crouching Grasshopper stall as delicious.
Hokitika police said there were few problems at the festival, but a town-wide liquor ban and an increase in police and security staff saw 35 people arrested for alcohol-related offences.
Another 10 face drink-driving charges.
