Comments on: Ned the Blogger http://www.starchamber.com/2003/03/ned-the-blogger.html Ned Gulley's Blog. Resident buzzwords: synthetic biology, ambient displays, swarm robotics, wise crowds. Tue, 02 Dec 2008 08:32:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: Mike Onken http://www.starchamber.com/2003/03/ned-the-blogger.html#comment-145 Mike Onken Mon, 07 Apr 2003 20:26:50 +0000 http://starchamber.com/?p=578#comment-145 Sorry, me again. I was just thinking about the whole "vegetable defined by use" argument and was wondering if making sweet potato pie places yams in the "vegetable fruit" catergory, since it's a vegetable that is being used as a fruit. Sorry, me again.
I was just thinking about the whole “vegetable defined by use” argument and was wondering if making sweet potato pie places yams in the “vegetable fruit” catergory, since it’s a vegetable that is being used as a fruit.

]]> By: Mike Onken http://www.starchamber.com/2003/03/ned-the-blogger.html#comment-144 Mike Onken Mon, 07 Apr 2003 16:18:26 +0000 http://starchamber.com/?p=578#comment-144 Here's the kicker: since the botanical definition of fruit is 'that part of the plant that bears seeds,' wheat bran is a fruit. Here’s the kicker: since the botanical definition of fruit is ‘that part of the plant that bears seeds,’ wheat bran is a fruit.

]]> By: Ned http://www.starchamber.com/2003/03/ned-the-blogger.html#comment-143 Ned Fri, 04 Apr 2003 01:55:05 +0000 http://starchamber.com/?p=578#comment-143 My definition may be facile, but yours is tautological: a vegetable is vegetable. I am glad to know about the seven kinds of vegetables, but what is it about how we eat a plant that makes it a vegetable? Or is it the case that vegetables are simply the things that we call vegetables? For what it's worth, the quote from Ned Batchelder's blog that I use is supported by this URL. <a href="http://newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/bot00/bot00330.htm" rel="nofollow">http://newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/bot00/bot00330.htm</a> My definition may be facile, but yours is tautological: a vegetable is vegetable. I am glad to know about the seven kinds of vegetables, but what is it about how we eat a plant that makes it a vegetable? Or is it the case that vegetables are simply the things that we call vegetables?

For what it’s worth, the quote from Ned Batchelder’s blog that I use is supported by this URL.

http://newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/bot00/bot00330.htm

]]> By: Edmond Horsey http://www.starchamber.com/2003/03/ned-the-blogger.html#comment-142 Edmond Horsey Thu, 03 Apr 2003 00:06:41 +0000 http://starchamber.com/?p=578#comment-142 Your definition is facile. As far as botany is concerned, there is no distinction between fruits and vegetables: some fruits are vegetables, not all vegetables are fruits. Vegetable is a term of use, not of science. Identifying a plant as a vegetable says nothing about the plant itself, only about how we eat it. In fact, there are seven groups vegetables: root vegetables (beets, carrots, potatoes...), bulb vegetables (garlic, onions, shallots...), seed vegetables (peas, beans...), stalk vegetables (asparagus...), leafy vegetables (cabbage, lettuce, spinach...), flower vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, artichokes...) and - last but not least - fruit vegetables (eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers...). Your definition is facile. As far as botany is concerned, there is no distinction between fruits and vegetables: some fruits are vegetables, not all vegetables are fruits. Vegetable is a term of use, not of science. Identifying a plant as a vegetable says nothing about the plant itself, only about how we eat it.

In fact, there are seven groups vegetables: root vegetables (beets, carrots, potatoes…), bulb vegetables (garlic, onions, shallots…), seed vegetables (peas, beans…), stalk vegetables (asparagus…), leafy vegetables (cabbage, lettuce, spinach…), flower vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, artichokes…) and - last but not least - fruit vegetables (eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers…).

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