Dig this. A guy named John S. Allen just pubbed a book called The Omnivorous Mind. I expect most of it is kind of dry and scholarly, but I did enjoy an excerpt I just read. Allen points out the obvious: that human beings like crispy foods. Potato chips, pop corn, tortillas, deep fried anything, we love it love it love it.
Allen thinks he knows why. His theory is based on evolution, so if you don’t believe in that, you probably won’t like this one, either.
Anyway. Going back millions of years, our ancestors were a lot like the little lemurs and other primates we can still find in the jungles. Guess what those guys LOVE to eat? Did you guess BUGS? And did you remember that a lot of bugs are crispy? Allen’s idea is that when you bite into a crispy taco, a little voice in the back of your head is thinking, “Mmm! Bugs!”
It’s worth noting that in most Asian countries, stuff like fried grasshoppers is a normal snack food. Awesome, right?
They don’t call ‘em Crispy Critters for nothin’!