AlwaysPartying: The Most Interesting Academy

Arthur Bovino — June 22, 2009

Eating a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach (Gromphadorhina portentosa) prepared by Gene Rurka (behind, right)

I make no claims of being the most interesting man in the world. Fortunately, when Man vs. Wild star, Bear Grylls (below, left) rappels from the ceiling to start a party, the pressure is off. Thus began the “New York Curriculum” of Dos Equis’ Most Interesting Academy at the Broad Street Ballroom.

You may know the new Dos Equis advertisements that feature a gray-bearded, fictional pitchman (above, center), a tuxedo-clad, Hemingwayesque gentleman who fell in love with Dos Equis during a “short stay in a jail in Guadalajara.” He’s said to be the most interesting man in the world and he’s depicted in exotic locales with models and fez-wearing men, accomplishing the fantastic and engaging in the eccentric. Commercials end with the tagline, “I don’t always drink beer, but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis. Stay thirsty my friends.”

The event was hosted at Claremont Prepatory School, former headquarters of the Lee-Higginson Bank, transformed by MetSchools, Inc., into a K-8 private school. Two weeks after contacting the school, Mirrorball, a marketing agency, turned it into an “interesting” playground (above, right) with go-go dancers, Dos Equis beers and cocktails, 16,000 volt Tesla coils, didgeridoos, henna artists, and exotic birds like an Eastern Screech Owl named Sienna. The idea? To “help consumers kick up their ‘interesting quotient’ a few notches on the ‘interesting’ scale.” So of course, there was interesting food.

The caterer, DM Cuisine Ltd., served wild game with a tasty if considerably tame preparation that made the uncommon, approachable. Buffalo, wild boar, venison and alligator aren’t that unheard of, but python and kangaroo are a little harder to come by. Python was ground, fried and served with salsa verde. Kangaroo was barbecued and served on a cheddar biscuit. Before I could request a wild game Dagwood, I got wind of more exotic food upstairs.

Mini Buffalo Burgers with Gorgonzola, Lettuce, and Tomatoes on Mini-Buns

Fried Louisiana Alligator with Cajun Remoulade

BBQ Kangaroo on Homemade Cheddar Biscuit

Wild Boar Bacon Panini with Dijon and Gruyère Cheese

Venison Loin on Crostini with Balsamic Cherry Chutney

Python Fritters with Salsa Verde

The Most Interesting Man “never says anything tastes like chicken, not even chicken.” Clearly, no meal at the Academy Bug Bar was going to taste like chicken. But a stop into the Academy Barber Shoppe was necessary first. The commercials say of the Most Interesting Man, “his beard alone has experienced more than a lesser man’s entire body.” A “most interesting” makeover outfitted me with a beard to make me resemble the Dos Equis pitchman.

An assortment of insect amuse bouches at the Academy Bug Bar

No homage could compare to the appearance of Exotics Expert, Gene Rurka (top). Rurka however, wasn’t present as a stand-in for the pitchman, but to serve pedigreed insects to daring eaters. Insects were cooked (broiled, baked, or braised) to sanitize them, neutralize toxins, and make them palatable—crispy, not oozing. It’s one thing to eat cricket tacos or scorpion lollipops, and another to eat a two-inch Madagascar Hissing Cockroach. “Don’t try to eat it all at once,” Gene warned. “Eat it in two bites or it might be too much to take.”

Eating Scorpion (Buthus Martensi) on Endive w/Herbed Cream Cheese with a fellow interesting eater.

The bottom portion seemed the easier part. The crackly outer shell gave way like filo with more resistance. The inside was sweet and creamy. “We’re trying to give them a different tang this year,” Gene said, “so we had them on oranges and apples.”

Adult Asian Tarantula (Haplopelma)

Eating a tarantula is more challenging than a cockroach because of how the legs protrude. According to Gene, if they’re not prepared properly the urticating hairs that cover the legs “can get stuck in your lip or your tongue,” and numb your mouth. Gene wouldn’t reveal the preparation, but there was a distinct barbecue sauce flavor.

Mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) and Cherry Tomatoes

The rest was easy: Crickets on Melba toast with Cream Cheese or with Pepper Jelly were more crunch than taste. Mealworms were crispy afterthoughts. Gene shocked me with the value of this complimentary meal, “You ate a little shy of $500 in bugs.”

“You’re paying for size and care,” he explained. “These are not babies, that’s where the dollar value comes in. I’ve seen crabs smaller than these. There’s a cost of keeping them. You’re paying for size and care, what they’ve been fed. People say, ‘I’ve seen a cockroach in my kitchen, come get him!’ But where did that cockroach come from? You didn’t feed him, you didn’t prepare him just to get legs so they don’t shrivel and constrict. There’s a lot of preparation, not just to make them showpieces but to make them palatable.”

Gene’s efforts ensured that my most interesting meal was unlikely to be topped anytime soon. And while I make no claims to being the most interesting man in the world, I am a member of the academy, and I do have the T-shirt (above, right) to prove it.