5-minute listening: New Orleans cafe puts cicadas on the menu as the US braces for an onslaught of trillions
- The insects can also be tasty to eat if prepared properly
- Practise your English with our short listening exercises: play the audio; answer the questions; and check the answers at the bottom of the page
Zach Lemann, curator of animal collections for the Audubon Insectarium, prepares cicadas for eating. Photo: APQuestions
1. Which of the following best describes the physical appearance of periodical cicadas?
A. They are an important source of food for birds.
B. They have a long lifespan.
C. They make a lot of noise.
D. They are insects that have red eyes.
2. Based on your understanding of the podcast, which food is least likely to be served
on Bug Appetit’s menu?
A. grasshoppers seasoned with chilli and lime
B. candied water beetles
C. vegan rainbow chicken stir fry
D. mealworm garlic bread
3. If something is crispy, it …
A. is hard and dry
B. is slightly wet
C. cannot be easily broken into small pieces
D. returns to its original shape after being stretched
4. How often do periodical cicadas usually emerge?
A. every decade
B. every 13 or 17 years
C. every 20 or 25 years
D. information not given
5. If someone is wearing a “chef’s smock”, they are most likely …
A. tasting food in a restaurant.
B. writing a menu.
C. catching insects.
D. preparing a meal.
6. Why are cicadas emerging earlier than usual this year?
A. because of changes to the weather
B. because of a lack of food
C. because there are too many of them
D. because it is their mating season
7. What do cooked cicadas taste like?
A. slightly salted potato crisps
B. citrusy fruits
C. toasted seeds or nuts
D. grilled shrimps
8. How does Lemann cook dragonflies?
A. by baking them
B. by grilling them
C. by frying them
D. by boiling them
9. What sort of information can readers expect to find from Cicada-Licious?
A. how to breed the insects
B. different ways of cooking the insects
C. fun facts about the insects
D. how to identify different species of the insects
10. What does Bug Appetit cafe still need to do before it can sell wild-caught cicadas to
the public?
A. keeping the cicadas alive long enough to cook them
B. come up with a unique and delicious recipe
C. get legal permission to cook and sell them
D. find enough customers interested in trying them
11. Complete the following summary using information from the podcast. (5 marks)
Zack Lemann is a (i) ______ at the Insectarium. He has been creating dishes with (ii) ______ that might be added to the menu. One of them is a roasted cicada salad with apples, almonds, and a (iii) ______ dressing. Another features (iv) ______ baby cicadas drizzled with mix of creole mustard and (v) ______.
Answers
1. D
2. C
3. A
4. B
5. D
6. A
7. C
8. C
9. B
10. C
11. (i) curator; (ii) cicadas; (iii) blueberry; (iv) fried; (v) soy sauce
Script
Adapted from Associated Press
Voice 1: As the US prepares for trillions of red-eyed bugs known as periodical cicadas to emerge, it’s worth noting that they’re not just annoying, noisy pests – if prepared properly, they can also be tasty to eat.
Voice 2: In the city of New Orleans, the Audubon Insectarium has long served up an array of insect-based treats at its cafe, Bug Appetit, which overlooks the Mississippi River. Its menu items include “Cinnamon Bug Crunch”, chilli-fried waxworms and crispy, Cajun-spiced crickets.
Voice 1: Zack Lemann is the Insectarium’s curator of animal collections. Recently, he has been working up cicada dishes that may become part of the menu. He donned a chef’s smock to show off a couple of them. One dish was a green salad with apple, almonds, blueberry vinaigrette, and roasted cicadas. Fried cicada nymphs were dressed on top with a warm mixture of creole mustard and soy sauce. According to Lemann, he prepares dragonflies in a similar manner.
Voice 2: Depending on the type and how they are prepared, cooked cicadas taste similar to toasted seeds or nuts. The Insectarium isn’t the first to promote the idea of eating them. Over the years, these critters have appeared on a smattering of menus and in cookbooks, including titles like Cicada-Licious from the University of Maryland in 2004.
Voice 1: Lemann has been working to ensure the Bug Appetit cafe has legal clearance to serve wild-caught cicadas while he works on finding sources for the bugs. He expects that this spring’s unusual emergence of two enormous broods of cicadas will heighten interest in insects in general and the Insectarium.
Voice 2: Periodical cicadas stay buried for years until they surface and take over a landscape. Depending on the variety, the emergence happens every 13 or 17 years. Entomologists say they emerge when the ground warms to about 18 degrees Celsius, which is happening earlier than it used to because of climate change. The bugs are brown at first but darken as they mature.