--On Wednesday, August 22, 2018 13:50 +0000 "Haytowitz, David"
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> In the US, the true potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a
> completely different food from sweet potatoes (Ipomoea
> batatas). The confusion in the US arises from the fact that
> the term yam is frequently used when referring to sweet
> potatoes in common usage and marketing. Sweet potatoes
> (Ipomea batatas) are elongated tubers with a white or
> orange—yellow colored flesh.
>...
David,
Thanks for the details. I had forgotten the "sweet potato" <->
"yam" confusion in addition to the "potato" <-> "sweet potato"
one, which I have encountered even in the US although
infrequently. However, that just strongly reinforces my point,
which is that, when we are discussing or trying to utilize food
composition data across national, cultural, or language
boundaries, we need to be very careful to be sure we are all
talking about the same things.
--On Wednesday, August 22, 2018 14:29 +0000 河合 亮子
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>...
> If people wants to ask data of some plants or animals, please
> use scientific name instead of common name. Because common
> name is not very common.
Yes. But, especially for cooked or otherwise prepared or mixed
foods, or plants or animals in which different parts are eaten
in different places or contexts, scientific names do not supply
enough of the relevant information. Both the local names and
the scientific ones, as well as other information, may be
important. This problem is the source of all (or almost all) of
the many efforts over the years to come up with systematic,
faceted or otherwise multiple-component, names for foods, a
subject on which many of the people on this list are far more
knowledgeable than I am. I am only suggesting that, while I
assume we all understand the problem for the complex cases, it
is often important to be careful about it even in the cases that
might seem safe or obvious on first glance.
best,
John KLENSIN
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