Read the passage. what is “nougat”? you’ve seen the ads on television. a voice entices you with words like “rich milk chocolate” and “fresh, crunchy peanuts.” wait! what exactly is it? traditional vanilla nougat is made from egg whites, sugar, honey, almonds, pistachio nuts, vanilla, and sometimes candied fruits. today’s candy makers depart from the traditional recipe by using lots of corn syrup and sucrose. and they add vegetable fats and milk powder. on second thought, maybe we’re better off not knowing what nougat is. what is the author’s viewpoint on nougat?

The author's viewpoint on nougat is not very positive. We can see this through how he/she contrasts it with traditional nougat. There are several clues within the text. For example, the author describes the process of how the traditional nougats were made with good additives. They were made with ingredients that sounded enticing to the audience (honey, almonds, vanilla, candied fruits). The author then goes on to describing the diminished, modern nougats that are made with unappealing/unappetizing ingredients like vegetable fats and sucrose. He/she even goes as far as saying that perhaps not knowing the definition of the word 'nougat' in today's standards is a good thing. 

We can clearly see the author's viewpoint on modern nougat is a negative one.