Generally speaking, I will try any food. But my entomophobia—fear of insects—set in before memory did. I’ve always been irrationally, insanely terrified of bugs. So at the preview party at Poquitos last week, when a woman came around with a bowl piled with amber-hued grasshoppers for us to snack on, I smiled and refused, hoping that no one would notice that I was, quite literally, shaking with fear. (I know that sounds princessy, but if you suffer from any phobias, you know what I mean.)

Of course in Oaxaca, Mexico, as well as many other parts of the world, grasshoppers are a standard snack, about as exotic as a Ritz cracker. And all around me, people were crunching on those bugs with delight, reporting that they were spicy and crunchy. Appetized? Try them at Poquitos, which opens today for lunch at 11:30am. There are lots of options for insect-averse eaters as well.