Snacks a-comin'.

Make your plans now for an infrequent eating occasion. The 17-year cicadas are about to return. And there are those who like to eat them. Raw, sauteed, boiled. Or frozen, so you can snack on them between now and 2021.

Apparently, you'll want to gather them up within 12 hours of moulting, while the shells are still soft. (Some compare them to soft-shell crabs.)

And it seems that you'll want to make sure to add a lot of flavor - breading, garlic, lots of herbs - because, as one gourmet notes, "Served plain, cicadas have more crunch than flavor."

I don't have any special recollection of the 1987 cicada visitation, but I have plenty of memories of the 1970 emergence: playing tennis while the din of the cicadas serenaded us, and having to clear the court of cicadas before playing (and occasionally swatting at flying ones during the match).

Update: The author of a bug cookbook had an online chat at the Post's site today. Good reading, if you're on a diet.