Bugs! On the Menu in DC Next Week, at Pop-Up Restaurant on Pennsylvania Avenue

Are you an adventurous person who will try anything once? How about eating bugs?

Next week in DC, J.C. Ehrlich, a pest management and control company based in the Mid-Atlantic region, will host “Pestaurant on Pennsy” on Wednesday at a pop-up restaurant at the Occidental Grill.

Translation: Bugs will be on the menu, friend.

Ehrlich will be serving grasshopper burgers, crispy BBQ mealworms and scorpion lollipops. This event will be going on next week in cities around the world. Washington, DC is the only U.S. city to host this event.

• What: Ehrlich’s “Pestaurant on Pennsy,” serving a selection of edible insects
• When: June 4 at 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.  
• Where: Occidental Grill, 1475 Pennsylvania Ave NW (Patio Entrance)

While taking your lunch break, you can also take "pest selfies," compete in a cricket-eating contest and vote for DC’s worst pest. 

The event is free and bug experts will be on hand to discuss the edible pests being served, answer any pest questions from members of the public and to pass on their top tips for avoiding pest problems.

Here are some fun facts from the company, about...eating bugs:

• The consumption of insects has been known to contribute positively to the environment and to health and livelihoods. 
• More than 1,900 species have reportedly been used as food. 
• Insects are high in protein, B vitamins and minerals like iron and zinc, and are low in fat. 100g of grasshopper can carry 20.6g of protein, 35.3mg of calcium and 5mg of iron. 
• Eating insects can help boost nutrition and reduce our carbon footprint.

Common Washington, DC pests, according to the company, include: ants, bedbugs, flies, mice, fleas, rats and wasps.