Loudoun Principal Takes Down Stink Bug
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, June 21st, 2011
Dave Michener, principal of Hilsboro Elementary School, is clearly a man of his word. A virtual Horton the Elephant (“I meant what I said, and I said what I meant, an elephant’s faithful, 100%”), he promised his students that he would eat stink bug tacos if they met their goal of reading 15 to 20 minutes per day during the last school year.
And eat stink bugs he did. At last Thursday’s assembly, Michener enthusiastically downed the insect-filled tacos as gleeful students chanted, “Eat it! Eat it!” in the background. Chef Derek Luhowiak, the so-called “Stink Bug Fryin’ Expert” featured prominently in the Loudoun Times video below, describes the stink bug flavor as reminiscent of “cilantro.” Hmmm.
Not only is Principal Michener Loudoun County’s own version of Andew Zimmern; his consumption of steak tacos garnished with stink bug salsa may have helped in small measure with the region’s infestation. According to the Washington Post, stink bugs caused $37 million of damage to last year’s mid-Atlantic apple crop alone, not to mention the damage caused to local peach, grape, and soybeans crops.
One Maryland homeowner removed in excess of 20,000 stink bugs from his home in January of this year!
This isn’t Michener’s first school house dare. In the past, he allowed students to shave his head. Another year, he slept on a roof. Stay tuned for next year’s spectacle . . . I’m sure that so-called “Instigator” and PTA President Ken Stewart will delight in finding new means of torture for his willing principal.
For more stink bug recipe inspiration (i.e., stink bug paté and a Oaxacan-style stink bug taco sans beef), check out WUSA.
The Infamous Stink Bug (Image: Phil Jenkins/Shutterstock)
Tags: Andrew Zimmern, Bizarre Foods, crop damaga, Dave Michener, Derek Luhowiak, dining, Dr. Seuss, eat it, Gut Check, Hillsboro Elementary, Horton the Elephant, Johnisha M. Levi, Northern Virginia, Northern Virginia Magazine, NoVA, Oaxaca, principal, stink bug, stink bug taco, tacos, travel channel