h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Seaweed - A23623238
Author: Matt the Hoopy - U168592

Highlighted as needing an Update here; F19585?thread=3289561

Origianl Entry A139394

Not too much done, still kept brief, but links added and tidied up a bit.

Hi, Matt!

This has to be a quickie, I'm afraid. I'm expecting someone quite soon... I don't know anything about the subject... and there's no time to do any research.

For instance: 'Algae' is the plural form of 'alga', so I've (quite possibly wrongly) fiddled the grammar with that in mind.

Anyway, excuses over & down to business:

Intro 4th line: [is demonstrative]

Intro 2nd para 1st sentence:
I'm a bit confused as to whether it's a plant or not. Assuming it isn't: (Seaweed is often [mistakenly] referred to as a plant, but the green, red and brown varieties don't even have roots, stems or leaves like plants do)?

Intro 2nd para 7th line: [seaside]

Psychic Seaweed? 1st sentence: [moisture. Therefore, if dry seaweed hanging up goes limp, it means there's damp]

A Curative 1st line: [Seaweed-based products]

A Curative 1st line: (as the algae contain iodine)?

A Curative 4th line: [and they even assist]

Seaweed - Killer! 3rd line: [seaweed- related]

Seaweed - Killer! last sentence: [So, beware the slimy arms]


.......................

Thanks once again RE, done all those

If you've any other ideas for improving the Entry further let me know

'A'

"If you've any other ideas for improving the Entry further let me know "

Let's see if we can get some input from other members of the community, many of whom are pretty hot on the ideas front.

Any signs of ??

Anyone have anything more to add?

"Anyone have anything more to add?" You've covered quite a lot of ground already, and it's a huge improvement on the original.

Just a couple of typos:

Psychic Seaweed? 1st line:

A Curative 1st line: [and also have]

Fixed, thanks once more RE

My pleasure, Matt!

You might like to mention carrigeenan, which is extracted from carrigeen, a type of seaweed, and was once much used as a thickener in all sorts of sauces, custards etc. But it's been discovered to have some sort of an effect on people which I can't remember off hand, and is no longer recommended in foods.

I'll have a look into it and 'sea weed' I can find...

There we go, have added a bit about agar and carraganeen

Eating It 3rd para 2nd line: Most good dictionaries (including Oxford) spell it 'gastrointestinal'.

Sorted,

I like the picture.

Off for a late siesta...

Glad to see this in UF - having seen the BBC Countryfile programme about Irish SeaWeed today . I thought that the EG Entry you're updating was extremely sparse:


Extract from Counryfile Homepage:

Irish seaweed
Sligo in the North West of Ireland is home to 6,000 species of seaweed. It's one of our most versatile plants and is harvested fresh from the beach for use in cooking and in traditional seaweed baths.

Links from the Countryfile Homepage:

Irish Seaweed Centre
Kilcullen's Seaweed Baths
The Organic Centre - Cooking with seaweed

Having looked at your Entry a bit more closely, it might be worth mentioning Kilcullen's Sea Weed Baths under 'Curative Properties'

Here's the link:

http://www.kilcullenseaweedbaths.com/baths.htm

There are 3 main types of seaweed used in Japanese cuisine: nori, which you've mentioned, which is rich in protein, kombu, which is rich in Vitamins A and C; and wakame, which is high in iron and calcium. A chemical present in wakame is a 'clot-buster', which in at least one test proved twice as powerful as heparin.

Also, just realised you've not mentioned the Welsh 'laver bread':

http://www.trevor.jones4.btinternet.co.uk/Recipes/LaverBread.html

There is also a recipoe on the BBC-Food site for Trout with Laver Breasd, if I recall correctly, which you could link to