The sweet smell of freshly fried tempura greets people as they stroll through campus. It’s The “Bug Chef,” David George Gordon, preparing tempura-battered mealworms.

Last Sunday, hundreds of people flooded The Burke Museum for its 10th Annual Bug Blast. Gordon demonstrated three recipes from his Eat-a-Bug Cookbook and offered samples to museum guests during his three lectures that day.

An interactive and humorous outdoor event, Gordon’s crowd was a mix of curious Cub Scouts, disgusted mothers and adventurous college students.

“My roommates came to the polar bear exhibit and they heard about it so we decided to check it out,” junior David Zimmermann said.

Donning a goofy chef’s hat, complete with large black antennae, the Bug Chef began by warming his deep fryer. On today’s menu: tempura mealworms, Orthopteran Orzo and a tempura tarantula.

Before starting each recipe, he picked a few volunteers to help to prepare the dish. Hands shot up from all angles, each attached to an enthusiastic child. Several others raised their hands, some forced up by their mischievous companions.

Resembling a white Cheeto, the tempura mealworm is the first insect to be consumed.

The crowd heightened the moment by chanting: “One-two-three. Eat it, eat it, eat it.”

Some tasters made a face while others could only grin and ask for seconds.

“The tempura mealworm tasted a little underdone and had a different kind of consistency than I thought it would,” Lisa Glomb said.

He purchases the mealworms and crickets in bulk from pet stores and reminds the audience to make sure the crickets, called nymphs, aren’t fully grown, since the adult ones aren’t as tender. The youngsters are the veal of the species, he said.

To counter the sharp cricket taste, he precooked the orzo and mixed it with diced red and green pepper. He uses a wok, since the fast heat is best for crickets.

“You can’t overcook them or else they will inflate and pop, like popcorn,” Gordon said.

The dish has a shrimp-like flavor and is quite crunchy, according to tasters.

The tempura tarantula leg may have been his creepiest creation. To obtain the main ingredient, he purchases the tarantulas from a biological supply company, which, he said, saves them from a slow death at the hands of science.

Before frying, the fur must be removed. Gordon does this by holding the tarantula by one leg and singeing the hairs with a lighter. He then chopped off the abdomen and dipped the spider in tempura batter before dropping it in the deep fryer.

The dish is served with an orange marmalade sauce to compliment the taste.

“It was chewy,” Zimmermann said. “I definitely could taste the leg but it’s not something I would eat again if I had a choice.”

While his show revolves around culinary insect cuisine, he made a convincing case for insects’ nutritional and ecological benefits.

A grasshopper’s body is more than 60 percent protein – twice that of beef or chicken. Crickets are rich in calcium, vitamins and amino acids, while termites are rich in iron.

Referencing the chocolate in Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Gordon noted that lots of commonly eaten foods already have bugs in them, but consumers don’t realize it.

Red food coloring is made up from ground up bugs from Mexico, and you can find the same insect ingrediant in Sobe and strawberry yogurt, Gordon said.

In a culture where seafood and red meat are popular foods, Gordon reminded everyone that bugs are eaten everywhere else.

“In South Korea you can purchase caterpillars in the store and it’s seen as a delicacy,” Gordon said.

He further proved his point by holding up a rubber chicken and making a joke of how people eat food that comes out of a chicken’s bottom.

Eating insects are more environmentally friendly than raising animals on a farm because the waste from bug ranching is negligible.

Some people had a mixed reaction to Gordon’s idea of mainstreaming the consumption of insects.

There’s the little problem of getting the food and getting over one’s aversion to bugs, Glomb said.

Although Gordon’s inspiration for his insect creations came from his travels to Thailand and other exotic locations, his kitchen isn’t filled with spiders and beetles. However, he does have a stockpile of grasshoppers.

“Bugs that look like food are easier to eat,” he said.

Aside from being the “Bug Chef,” Gordon is a science writer for the Washington Sea Grant Program and has authored 12 books.

Visitors to Bug Blast, presented by Scarabs: The Bug Society, had the opportunity to learn about and purchase “silent bug-zapper” plants, view honeybee and ant colonies and see extensive insect collections from professional and amateur entomologists.

The Adopt-a-Stream Foundation, Pacific Science Center and the Woodland Park Zoo each had booths to inform people interested in insects.

Entomologist Alexander Barr has been collecting insects since he was five. Diagnosed with cancer as a young child, Barr was able to travel to Panama to catch bugs with an entomologist through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

His collection showcased a blue morpho butterfly and many other insects from around the world.

“I also had a fluorescent green bee named after me,” Barr said. “It’s called Algachlora alexanderi.”

Besides eating bugs, activities included bug crafts and the chance to wear special bug-eye glasses.

The children at Gordon’s demonstration seemed especially enthralled. Some young audience members crept so close to the demonstration that Gordon had to remind them to back away for their own safety. Parents also had a difficult time pulling their children, and eager volunteers, away from the dangers of the spitting deep fryer and the allure of the event’s celebrity. Gordon just described himself as a chef — someone who doesn’t wash his own dishes.

Reach reporter Nicole Ciridon at features@dailyuw.com.