UN's World Food Programme had to stay silent about the famine death toll in the mid-1990s if it wanted to stay on to help the survivors, even as Kim Jong Il, the North's current tormentor, was ordering in not just pizzas, but special pizza chefs, special ovens and the finest ingredients to tickle his palate.

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Several restaurateurs told me that their chefs enjoy the challenge of crafting special, inexpensive menus.

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Though the buffet was a special occasion, the chefs promise to keep at least one insect dish on the menu at all times.

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