Chocolate Cockroaches in Walterboro, S.C.?

“Did you get the chocolate we left for you?” asked David Smalls, president of the Walterboro (S.C.)  Chamber of Commerce.

“Hmm … chocolate,” I thought. “No, sorry. I didn’t see it, but will look for it when I get back to the room.”

I love chocolate — white chocolate, milk chocolate, dark — makes no difference, well not usually.  When we arrived back to our room at the Nine O’ Seven Bed & Breakfast in Walterboro, we eagerly looked for our chocolate treat.

The presentation was adorable: miniature Chinese take-out containers sitting on colorful tissue paper wrapped in cellophane and neatly tied together with a golden cord and note that read: “Please enjoy a taste of the Palmetto State.”

My daughter, Ashley, plucked a container from the table, examined the box closer and immediately dropped it back on the desk. “Eww, mom,” she said. “It’s chocolate covered cockroaches. Gross!”

“No, way,” I said. “Really, chocolate cockroaches?”

I cradled the three-inch high container in my left palm, as I read the description one letter at a time. “C-H-O-C-R-O-A-C-H-E-S. ChocRoaches, really?” And thought to myself, South Carolina is a lot more progressive than I remember — I lived there in 1980s.

We spent the next five minutes discussing that this must be a new South Carolina delicacy, after all this is the “Palmetto State” and cockroaches are frequently mistaken for Palmetto bugs in the Lowcountry.  The conversation ended with our resolution to be thankful for the gift, and to ask our friends if they tried their chocolate treat.

The next day on our ride to Edisto Beach, chatter filled the van: “Did you try the cockroaches?” With a big smile on his face, Glenn turned and said, “Yes, I did, and they were delicious.”

Silently, I thought, “Hmm … delicious? Really, cockroaches … delicious?”

Later that day, I mustered the courage for a closer look,  delicately untied the golden cord, removed the cellophane and started reading the back of the box written like an entry into Webster’s.

Laughing aloud, I read the words to Ashley.

“Chocolate replicas of the cockroach known as the Palmetto bug, the unofficial state bird of South Carolina.”

Instantly, we removed the embossed, brass-colored roach sticker sealing the container, revealing two small plastic bags of chocolate. One with nuts and one without.

And, yes, they were good.

Just another example of why you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover. Sometimes a sweet surprise waits inside.

Chocroaches are available online at www.chocroaches.com.