Examen de Inglés PAU Madrid 2025 · Extraordinaria

Would You Eat Insects?

Chef Joseph Yoon is a renowned cook who is popularizing the age-old practice of eating insects. He is used to people reacting negatively to his creations: he's watched a child cry when she realized the pumpkin cake in her mouth was made with cricket powder, seen a grown adult spit out food that contained bugs and suffered racist online comments aimed at him for suggesting that scorpions are worth eating. But none of that seems to discourage Yoon. If anything, it just reaffirms the importance of his work removing stigma from this practice of eating insects. As the founder of an organization called Brooklyn Bugs and a self-described “insect ambassador”, Yoon is on a mission to prove that eating insects is good for the planet—and the mouth.

Yoon’s work includes giving presentations everywhere from elementary schools to Harvard and working with museums and institutions like NASA on sustainable food initiatives. Occasionally, he cooks for journalists, scientists and environmentalists. His main objective is to raise awareness about the planetary benefits and culinary joys of eating bugs. “I like to share the sense of hope and optimism, and to be able to capture people’s imagination through cooking insects,” Yoon said from his kitchen table in New York over some fried crickets. “The question is: how do we start changing the perception from insects as disgusting animals to something that’s sustainably farmed, nutrient dense and that can add a tremendous amount of flavor to your food?”

Insect consumption has been highlighted by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization as an important tool in addressing food insecurity for a growing global population. And, since agriculture is the second-largest greenhouse gas emitter after the energy sector, insect eating presents a good climate solution too. Crickets, for example, can provide the same amount of protein as cows for less than 0.1% of the emissions.

Yoon pointed out that people have been eating insects since long before the practice was recognized as a climate win. “There are over 2 billion people in 80% of the world’s nations that are already regularly consuming insects,” he said. But the stigma and disgusting factor that persist in many places, including much of the US, are what Yoon is interested in changing. His approach is to lead with the joy of eating. Learning to enjoy consuming bugs might require some training of your tastes depending on where you grew up, he said, but we apply that training whenever we try new foods from unfamiliar cultures or teach our kids to eat vegetables.

Adapted from Whitney Bauck’s “Meaty, Cheesy, Coconutty: a Chef’s Quest to Prove Insects Taste Delicious.” The Guardian, 9 Sep. 2022. <https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/09/insects-food-menu>

QUESTIONS

1.- Indicate whether TWO of the following statements are True, False or the information is Not Given in the text (T/F/NG). In true and false cases, copy the complete sentence that contains the evidence which justifies your answer. No marks are given for only TRUE or FALSE. (Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)

a)

An important institution has emphasized the relevance of using insects to combat food problems in a world with more and more people.

True

False

Not Given

b)

Research has shown that feelings of disgust are associated with eating insects in most Western countries.

True

False

Not Given

c)

Bugs have only recently been included as part of human diets.

True

False

Not Given

Would You Eat Insects?

Chef Joseph Yoon is a renowned cook who is popularizing the age-old practice of eating insects. He is used to people reacting negatively to his creations: he's watched a child cry when she realized the pumpkin cake in her mouth was made with cricket powder, seen a grown adult spit out food that contained bugs and suffered racist online comments aimed at him for suggesting that scorpions are worth eating. But none of that seems to discourage Yoon. If anything, it just reaffirms the importance of his work removing stigma from this practice of eating insects. As the founder of an organization called Brooklyn Bugs and a self-described “insect ambassador”, Yoon is on a mission to prove that eating insects is good for the planet—and the mouth.

Yoon’s work includes giving presentations everywhere from elementary schools to Harvard and working with museums and institutions like NASA on sustainable food initiatives. Occasionally, he cooks for journalists, scientists and environmentalists. His main objective is to raise awareness about the planetary benefits and culinary joys of eating bugs. “I like to share the sense of hope and optimism, and to be able to capture people’s imagination through cooking insects,” Yoon said from his kitchen table in New York over some fried crickets. “The question is: how do we start changing the perception from insects as disgusting animals to something that’s sustainably farmed, nutrient dense and that can add a tremendous amount of flavor to your food?”

Insect consumption has been highlighted by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization as an important tool in addressing food insecurity for a growing global population. And, since agriculture is the second-largest greenhouse gas emitter after the energy sector, insect eating presents a good climate solution too. Crickets, for example, can provide the same amount of protein as cows for less than 0.1% of the emissions.

Yoon pointed out that people have been eating insects since long before the practice was recognized as a climate win. “There are over 2 billion people in 80% of the world’s nations that are already regularly consuming insects,” he said. But the stigma and disgusting factor that persist in many places, including much of the US, are what Yoon is interested in changing. His approach is to lead with the joy of eating. Learning to enjoy consuming bugs might require some training of your tastes depending on where you grew up, he said, but we apply that training whenever we try new foods from unfamiliar cultures or teach our kids to eat vegetables.

Adapted from Whitney Bauck’s “Meaty, Cheesy, Coconutty: a Chef’s Quest to Prove Insects Taste Delicious.” The Guardian, 9 Sep. 2022. <https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/09/insects-food-menu>

QUESTIONS

2.- In your own words and based on the ideas in the text, answer the following questions. Do not copy from the text. (Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)

a)

Name two negative responses that Joseph Yoon's cooking has provoked from certain people.

b)

What type of activities does Yoon do to promote insect eating? Mention two.

Would You Eat Insects?

Chef Joseph Yoon is a renowned cook who is popularizing the age-old practice of eating insects. He is used to people reacting negatively to his creations: he's watched a child cry when she realized the pumpkin cake in her mouth was made with cricket powder, seen a grown adult spit out food that contained bugs and suffered racist online comments aimed at him for suggesting that scorpions are worth eating. But none of that seems to discourage Yoon. If anything, it just reaffirms the importance of his work removing stigma from this practice of eating insects. As the founder of an organization called Brooklyn Bugs and a self-described “insect ambassador”, Yoon is on a mission to prove that eating insects is good for the planet—and the mouth.

Yoon’s work includes giving presentations everywhere from elementary schools to Harvard and working with museums and institutions like NASA on sustainable food initiatives. Occasionally, he cooks for journalists, scientists and environmentalists. His main objective is to raise awareness about the planetary benefits and culinary joys of eating bugs. “I like to share the sense of hope and optimism, and to be able to capture people’s imagination through cooking insects,” Yoon said from his kitchen table in New York over some fried crickets. “The question is: how do we start changing the perception from insects as disgusting animals to something that’s sustainably farmed, nutrient dense and that can add a tremendous amount of flavor to your food?”

Insect consumption has been highlighted by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization as an important tool in addressing food insecurity for a growing global population. And, since agriculture is the second-largest greenhouse gas emitter after the energy sector, insect eating presents a good climate solution too. Crickets, for example, can provide the same amount of protein as cows for less than 0.1% of the emissions.

Yoon pointed out that people have been eating insects since long before the practice was recognized as a climate win. “There are over 2 billion people in 80% of the world’s nations that are already regularly consuming insects,” he said. But the stigma and disgusting factor that persist in many places, including much of the US, are what Yoon is interested in changing. His approach is to lead with the joy of eating. Learning to enjoy consuming bugs might require some training of your tastes depending on where you grew up, he said, but we apply that training whenever we try new foods from unfamiliar cultures or teach our kids to eat vegetables.

Adapted from Whitney Bauck’s “Meaty, Cheesy, Coconutty: a Chef’s Quest to Prove Insects Taste Delicious.” The Guardian, 9 Sep. 2022. <https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/09/insects-food-menu>

QUESTIONS

3.- Find the words in the text that mean: (Puntuación máxima: 1 punto)

a)

famous (paragraph 1):

b)

aim (paragraph 2):

c)

quantity (paragraph 3):

d)

strategy (paragraph 4):

4.- Answer FOUR questions (from a to f) of your choice.

Write a new sentence that has the same meaning as the one given. Use the word or expression in brackets. Do not change the word(s) given.

a)

Clothes are much cheaper than they were a few years ago. (used)

b)

The museum was less interesting than I expected. (as)

c)

I advise you to go to the dentist at least once a year. (had better)

d)

John is so healthy because he eats lots of fruit and vegetables. (if)

Complete the following sentence to report what was said.

e)

"What else did you see?"

I asked the little girl

Rephrase the sentence beginning with the words given.

f)

"People are spending more money on video games now than they spent ten years ago."

More money

5.- Write between 150 and 200 words on ONE of the following questions.

a)

Some people prefer to eat at restaurants or pre-made meals. Other people prefer to prepare and eat food at home. Which one do you prefer? Justify your answer.

5.- Write between 150 and 200 words on ONE of the following questions.

b)

Describe a negative experience you have had when eating out.