Page 202 - Udaan 2019-2021 Final

Our guide told us that the whole concept of eating spiders started during the
rule of the Khmer Rouge, an oppressive regime which ruled Cambodia for

around forty years. The Khmer Rouge drove people into the jungles during the

political turmoil. The oppressed people were forced to hunt for spiders and
scorpions due to lack of food. The strange food habit remained, even after the

collapse of the regime. After finishing his story, our guide munched on a juicy

tarantula and walked away, smiling.
I thought I had seen enough when suddenly an old lady came with a small boy.

My eyes were glued at the boy’s head, however – not because of his hairstyle,

but because of the fat spider sitting on top of his head. My mother told her to
take it off, else the boy would be stung, but she just laughed and said that its

fangs were removed, so there was nothing to fear. She offered to let us hold it.

As usual, my father was the first to take it, followed by my mother. And then
they insisted that I hold it too. I find arachnids slightly disgusting, but I still

closed my eyes and held it. It felt funny – fat, soft and hairy, like a ball of wool

with legs. I made sure to wash my hands in the washroom at once.
I didn’t eat any spiders, of course, but the place itself was a wonder to me. The

experience has remained etched in my memory. Who knows, I might even try a

spider or two if I ever revisit Cambodia!