Meal moths are a common nasty household pest. You may see them in their adult stage flying around in great numbers. Your home becomes a dirty brothel and they lay their eggs in tight spaces and… in your food.

In their larvae stage, they are cream colored, sometimes yellowish-green with a brown head. They will chill in your pantry and feed on nuts, herbs, coarsely ground grains, even the most respectable box of mac and cheese. Do you know where this is going?

On a dark day a few years ago, my dear father was preparing a meal of mac & cheese for my grandmother. He boiled the water, cooked the noodles and added the cheese packet with a splash of milk and extra butter. The cheesy buttery goodness was spooned into two bowls; he wanted a little bit for himself.

My grandmother dove in with a large spoonful and thanked him for making it for her. My father took a few bites as well. It was…crunchy. The noodles were soft, but something in the middle would crack on his teeth and get stuck between his gums. He pulled out a noodle from his mouth and nestled inside lay the body of a boiled alive meal moth larvae. The “worms” were in every single noodle. He fought the sensation to vomit.

He watched my 80 year-old grandmother happily eat every last larvae infested noodle. He feared if he told her, she’d have a heart attack. As he washed the empty bowl, he kept repeating… “it’s just protein.”

Eww.