I almost got attacked by a praying mantis!!!!

[Sirrahsim]

I did!! it was so scary! It almost attacked me!!... ok well actually it just sat quietly on the side of the shoji screen that was about 2 feet away from me... but that's close enough! I hate bugs.. I squeeled and pointed it out to one of the Japanese waitresses and she looked at it, smiled, and said "Oh! Komakiri!" I said "Huh?" "Komakiri" (at this point I didn't recognize that it was a praying mantis) She said that it was a "Komakiri" and "just a baby"... well the thing was nearly 2 inches long, and I was getting freaked out, so I went and grabbed the Japanese-English dictionary so I could find out if it was a species of bug that I knew about. She looked it up and told me that it was a praying mantis. At this point I was quite distressed, but knew better than to smash it right in front of a bunch of Japanese people. (plus it would have stained the screen...)
Sooooo I called over one of the male servers to rescue me from the freaky looking bug. He was sweet enough to gently pick it up in a towel and release it outside.
It was quite a scary event for me, (and I'm quite embarrased at my behavior) but I did find their reverance to bugs pretty darn cool
Just thought I'd share.

[sirrahbed]

ROFLMBO I can just picture this Missy! I think - no I KNOW I would have freaked too and I probably would have grabbed something and smashed it - I HATE bugs. That IS interesting that the people there have this reverence for living things - even bugs, and I find that rather nice I guess you got that disgust for bugs from your mother!! My bad

[moosmom]

Um, Sirrahsim, from what I know of Praying Mantis', they're harmless. Actually if you see one, according to some legend, it's good luck and you're supposed to make a wish. I think they're neat looking. They're also good for the environment.

[Tonya]

Awwww, praying mantis are my favorite bugs! I love them. They're like little people with their heads.

I read some story when I was a little girl about putting a leash on a praying mantis and keeping it by your bedside as good luck. I wanted a pet praying mantis so bad...but everytime I'd try to leash one, I'd decapitate it. I was so upset!

[luckies4me]

I am sooooooo glad you didn't squish him. I love prangies, and had one as a pet, named, well, Prangy!

[QueenScoopalot]

They are totally harmless, and I find them quite fascinating myself. I was trapping some cats several years ago along a stretch of land behind a milk processing plant. Someone had dumped a few cats back there, and when I spotted one of the emaciated cats she was in the middle of the road stalking a mantis that was doing all it could to avoid being dinner for the cat! I picked the mantis up, put it in a safer place, and vcaught the cat. She got adopted out, the mantis was not squished..happy ending for all!

[leslie flenner]

we have lots of them in Illinois. as a kid we'd pick them up to hold and they truely pray! they rub their hands together. It's sweet. It's one of the bugs, like lady bugs and caterpillars, that don't bother me and I will touch!

[Tonya]

I like all bugs except spiders and cockroaches.

[Sirrahsim]

Ugh I know they are harmless, and I would not have minded it if I had seen it outside, but it was inside, in the dining room of my club. I just don't like bugs! They are creepy and crawly and small enough to get into tiny places where you won't see them *shudder* even lady bugs will freak me out if they land on me.

[sirrahved]

No one mind Missy... she's just easily excitable! (sorry sis-in-love... this one warrants a tiny bit of ribbing!) I personally am fascinated by praying manti?? What's the plural of mantis? Anyhoo, it was a but I didn't encounter often during my childhood, but when I did I would watch them for an hour sometimes. They're slightly alien looking.

I'm glad you had a big strong man around to save you! Just today Muffin saved me from a daddy long-legs. I am eternally grateful to her.

[Amber]

I would have went crazy! I would of crawled under my tabled untill it was gone. Im not a bug lover, they are scary looking.