and feeding everyone is going to present some pretty major challenges.

併為每個人提供食物，這將會帶來一些相當大的挑戰。

Could a vital pillar of a secure food future be something a little out of left field?

一個安全的食品未來的重要支柱會不會是一個有點出乎意料的東西？

Could it even be living in said field?

它甚至可能生活在上述領域中嗎？

Could it be…bugs?

會不會是......蟲子？

Okay, let's get the most obvious question out of the way first: Is this a weird idea?

好吧，讓我們先把最明顯的問題說出來：這是不是一個奇怪的想法？

Well, it depends on who you ask.

嗯，這取決於你問誰。

To the 2 billion people around the world who indulge in entomophagy,

致全世界20億沉迷於昆蟲食物的人。

that is they regularly include insects as part of their diet,

就是說，他們經常把昆蟲作為其飲食的一部分。

it probably doesn't seem that strange at all.

它可能根本就不顯得那麼奇怪。

Actually if you love shellfish, then you're already most of the way to eating bugs.

事實上，如果你喜歡貝類，那麼你已經有了吃蟲子的大部分方法。

I mean, they are all arthropods, after all.

我的意思是，他們畢竟都是節肢動物。

The US FDA even had to warn people with seafood allergies

美國FDA甚至不得不警告對海鮮過敏的人

not to eat any of the billions of cicadas that emerged in 2021,

不吃任何在2021年出現的數十億隻蟬。

because they contain similar proteins that could trigger an allergic reaction.

因為它們含有類似的蛋白質，可能引發過敏反應。

People who are regular insectivores tend to live closer to the equator

經常吃昆蟲的人往往生活在靠近赤道的地方

where bugs are available as a food source year round.

那裡的蟲子全年都可以作為食物來源。

People who hail from higher latitudes like Europe

來自歐洲等高緯度地區的人

don't have a tradition of eating insects,

沒有吃昆蟲的傳統。

probably because they're really only available in the summer when they're nutritionally redundant anyway.

可能是因為它們真的只有在夏天才能買到，反正它們的營養是多餘的。

But the squeamishness many people feel at the thought of eating crawly critters

但是，許多人一想到要吃爬行的小動物就感到膽怯。

is learned and not an innately human instinct.

是學來的，而不是人類天生的本能。

In fact, our bodies produce an enzyme that can break down the hard chitin of their exoskeletons,

事實上，我們的身體產生一種酶，可以分解它們外骨骼的硬殼素。

so clearly we adapted to eat them at some point in our history.

所以很明顯，我們在歷史上的某個時刻適應了吃它們。

Insects could bring a lot of benefits to someone's diet today.

今天，昆蟲可以為某人的飲食帶來很多好處。

Crickets, for example, aren't just a good source of protein—they're also high in iron and vitamin B-12.

例如，蟋蟀不僅僅是蛋白質的良好來源，它們還含有大量的鐵和維生素B-12。

Eating a complete organism also means getting all the nutrients of that organism,

吃一個完整的生物體也意味著獲得該生物體的所有營養物質。

as opposed to eating one specific part of an animal.

而不是吃動物的某一特定部位。

Plus it cuts down on food waste, since eating a crunchy critter whole

此外，它還可以減少食物浪費，因為整個吃一個鬆脆的小動物

is easier than using every part of larger livestock.

是比使用大型牲畜的每個部分更容易。

The FAO estimates crickets require about 13 times less space than an equivalent amount of beef.

糧農組織估計，蟋蟀需要的空間比同等數量的牛肉少13倍左右。

They actually seem to like being packed together in small spaces,

他們實際上似乎喜歡擠在一起的小空間。

which might help ease a consumer's guilty conscience.

這可能有助於緩解消費者的內疚感。

Insects could also be a solution to the issue of just how much land we use to produce meat.

昆蟲也可以成為解決我們用多少土地來生產肉類的問題的一個辦法。

Right now, 80% of farmland is used for raising and feeding livestock,

現在，80%的農田被用於飼養和餵養牲畜。

even though animals account for only 18% of our caloric intake.

儘管動物只佔我們熱量攝入的18%。

The small space requirements could help curb the deforestation that comes with creating new farmland.

狹小的空間要求可以幫助遏制因創造新農田而產生的森林砍伐。

That in turn could be a huge help in the fight against climate change.

這反過來又可以成為應對氣候變化的一個巨大幫助。

Crickets emit a thousand times less greenhouse gasses

蟋蟀排放的溫室氣體要少一千倍

than cows do to produce the same amount of protein.

與奶牛相比，生產同樣數量的蛋白質需要更多的時間。

They also need roughly thirteen times less water,

它們需要的水也大約少13倍。

another huge plus for areas of the world where water is scarce.

對於世界上缺水的地區來說，這是一個巨大的優勢。

And as a parting gift, insect excrement, known as frass, even has a use as fertilizer.

作為離別的禮物，昆蟲的排洩物被稱為 "糞便"，甚至可以作為肥料使用。

Now, all of that is well and good, but what about flavor? Do they taste good?

現在，所有這些都很好，但味道如何呢？它們的味道好嗎？

Turns out insects come in many flavors,

事實證明，昆蟲有許多種味道。

from the sakondry of Madagascar, also known as the bacon bug,

來自馬拉加西的sakondry，也被稱為培根蟲。

to North America's own cicada, which apparently tastes a bit like shrimp to some.

到北美自己的蟬，顯然有些人覺得它的味道有點像蝦。

Makes sense, given the FDA's warning about seafood allergies.

鑑於美國食品和藥物管理局對海鮮過敏的警告，這是有道理的。

Really the biggest reason not to eat bugs aside from anaphylaxis is...well…because you don't want to.

除了過敏性休克之外，不吃蟲子的最大原因是......嗯......因為你不想吃。

Presenting them in a way that's palatable is a major challenge to wider adoption.

以一種可接受的方式呈現它們是廣泛採用的主要挑戰。

What we need is the Timon and Pumba to our Simba—

我們需要的是我們的辛巴的丁滿和彭巴----。

someone to show us that bugs can be slimy yet satisfying.

有人告訴我們，蟲子可以是粘稠的，但也可以是令人滿意的。

That or an introduction to six-legged cuisine that's more approachable than whole deep-fried crickets.

這或者是對六條腿的美食的介紹，比整個油炸蟋蟀更容易接近。

Grinding them into powder that can be mixed into bread dough

把它們磨成粉末，可以混入麵包麵糰。

or sprinkled onto a familiar food for a protein boost is one solution.

或灑在熟悉的食物上以增加蛋白質是一種解決方案。

Now, if non-bug-eaters never come around to the idea, the very least they can do is help destigmatize it.

現在，如果不吃蟲子的人永遠不會接受這個想法，他們至少可以幫助消除它的汙名。

Like I said, lots of people around the world already rely on insects for a vital part of their diet.

就像我說的，世界上很多人已經依靠昆蟲作為他們飲食的重要組成部分。

Unfortunately, contact with people who have negative attitudes toward entomophagy

不幸的是，與那些對食蟲病持消極態度的人接觸

has caused some cultures to lose their taste for grub.

導致一些文化人失去了對食物的品味。

As more and more humans share the globe, it's important that

隨著越來越多的人類共享全球，重要的是

none of them are discouraged from a perfectly good food source

他們都沒有被勸阻離開一個完美的食物來源

in favor of another that's more taxing on the environment and harder for them to obtain.

傾向於另一種對環境徵收更多的稅，而且他們更難獲得。

If you don't have a seafood allergy and you want to know more about cicadas

如果你沒有對海鮮過敏，並且想了解更多關於蟬的資訊

before you dive into a bowlful of them, then check out my video on the latest big emergence here.

在你吃了一碗之前，請看我關於最新出現的大事件的視頻。

So, what do you think about six-legged snacks? Are you still grossed out?

那麼，你對六條腿的零食有什麼看法？你仍然感到噁心嗎？

Do you think you could come around?

你認為你能回心轉意嗎？

Or maybe you eat them already?

或者是你已經吃了？

Let us know in the comments, be sure to subscribe, and I'll see you next time on Seeker.

請在評論中告訴我們，一定要訂閱，我們下次在Seeker上見。