Mariners fans literally can't stop ordering, eating toasted grasshoppers

Once you pop a grasshopper, you apparently can't stop.

Earlier this week, we noted that the Seattle Mariners were bringing something a little different to their ballpark concessions in 2017—specifically, toasted grasshoppers covered in chili-lime salt. Maybe you read that quick hit on eating bugs and thought to yourself, "Well, that's just silly. No one is going to want to eat insects on purpose." Well, guess what? You're a big dumb idiot.

From ESPN's Darren Rovell:

After surprisingly selling out of grasshoppers at a concession stand for the first three games of the season, the Seattle Mariners have called in an emergency order so that they last throughout this weekend. The team is also imposing a per-game order limit for the rest of the season.

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"We've sold roughly 18,000 grasshoppers," [Mariners spokeswoman Rebecca] Hale said. "That's more than the restaurant [that runs the stand], Poquitos, sells in a year."

Yes, the crunchy little critters—a Mexican specialty known as "chapulines"—have been an instant hit at Safeco Field, with fans rushing to shove as many cooked insects into their mouths as is financially viable. The grasshoppers, which are available for $4 for a four-ounce container, are so popular that the team will now limit sales to 312 orders per game—a number chosen, apparently as part of some bizarre Pacific Northwest voodoo, because it represents Edgar Martinez's lifetime batting average of .312. What the greatest designated hitter of all time has to do with edible insects is beyond me, but I digress.

So what's next for the hot new trend of eating bugs at sporting events? Hale tells Rovell that other companies have reached out to the Mariners about expanding their menu to include crickets and other insects, but she states that the team will be sticking to grasshoppers for now. But all that means is that the market is open for other teams to race in and give the fans what they want: dead insects, full of protein and whatever else is inside them. Beats another deep-fried burger served on a donut covered in chocolate, at least.