It's.a.bug

I'll be the first to admit it - I am totally not a bug person. Most of them I will just dodge and let them go on their merry way. If they get too eager, or enter my house, they're going to get squashed. This is especially true of spiders, but goes for any bug.

Given that, I don't get people that voluntarily buy bugs to keep as pets. At home, it's tarantulas. Here, it's the Hercules Beetle.

Ryanne and I were cruising through the toy section at Jusco one day. I look over and see the little bug boxes. I'm familiar with seeing them (with aforementioned tarantulas) in pet stores at home. Here, I figured they would be empty, especially in the toy section. I mean, they're great toys for catching bugs outside to look at and release. Imagine my surprise, when one of those beetles snaps at the side of the container when I approach! It took everything I had to not squeal as I jumped back. Bugs are not toys. What are they doing in my toy section?

These things sell for crazy prices. The bigger the better. Many people appear to raise them to fight.

Kids are also obsessed with the video game. They flock to these games in the arcades. They're kid sized and easy for them to reach. They get to fight these beetles in the game and get cards for scoring well. Some days, you can't get past the arcade because of the group lined up to play.

It's insane. I just want to yell, "It's a bug. Just a bug," but I think that would make me an even bigger freak than I am already perceived as being.