Introducing diners to the range of experiences in creative Mexican cuisine, including the consumption of insects

It would seem fair to say that most people in the West remain more than a little apprehensive about eating insects (entomophagy), and the idea of incorporating insect matter into their diet. Rather that telling people that they should eat insects and/or that it is good for the planet, the approach trialled as part of the Mexico dining concept delivered in London in 2015 by Kitchen Theory was to incorporate insect matter (primarily powdered, but also, on occasion, whole) into a number of the courses served as part of the seven-course meal. Importantly, various psychological techniques were built into the design of the multisensory experience in order to help familiarize those diners who were anxious about the prospect of eating bugs and critters. The consumption of insects has long been a (small) part of Mexican cuisine, and thus developing a creative Mexican dining concept seemed to be an appropriate gastronomic vehicle to introduce people to the pleasures and cultural history of entomophagy.