Talk:Amorphophallus konjac/Archive 1

Common names

Elephant foot and Elephant yam (or elephant foot yam) refer to Amorphophallus paeoniifoluis, not A. konjac.

Corm vs. tuber

I believe that it is a corm and not a tuber (here is an excellent picture), and that references to the "konjac tuber" are made loosely. — Pekinensis 16:54, 14 Jun 2005 (UTC)

I have reverted it to corm. — Pekinensis 7 July 2005 19:11 (UTC)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amorphophallus talks about tubers and doesn't mention corms, does that need fixing then? --Oolong (talk) 21:55, 25 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Taste

It seems odd to write "its taste is best described as nondescript". Wouldn't a better way would be to write "It's taste is difficult to describe" or "It has an undescribable taste"? 8 July 2005 21:55 (UTC)

I changed it, among other things. As I have never seen konjac referred to as "魔芋" in Chinese/Mandarin, and it is always "蒟蒻" on packaging (though sometimes with incorrect characters), I have changed that part as well.Terukiyo 02:19, 24 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

'indescribable' implies that it has a noticeable flavor; 'nondescript' means that there isn't much flavor to describe - two very different meanings.Penelope Gordon (talk) 06:29, 14 March 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Chinese name

"磨芋" (not "魔芋" as previously claimed) seems to be a correct name for konjac in Chinese, or at least Sichuanese; in addition to Shiba's book, Google turns up about 20,000 hits on it, including what appears to be a recipe for stir-fried konjac and a descriptive article on konjac cultivation. Perhaps someone fluent in Chinese can follow up on this. Zogmeister 00:05, 19 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'd hate to refer to Google as any kind of authority. After all, if 90% of pages found on Google claim that the Earth is flat or that the Apollo landing on the Moon is a forgery, that still doesn't make it right. Having said that, if you still want to tally from Google, "磨芋" gets 13,100 hits today. "魔芋" gets 683,000 hits. And limit searches to pages only in Chinese, "蒟蒻" gets you 67,200 (simplified) + 237,000 (traditional). Based on the last, you might even get a naive impression that there are more people literate in tradition Chinese than simplified. Since a whole lot of plants in the Amorphophallus genus are called "魔芋" (including the Amorphophallus titanium), how about just considering the translation approximate anyway?

I agree with the last user; "魔芋" appears to be the correct name, actually. I'm looking at a Chinese menu right now, and that's what it says. Plus, on Google Translate "魔芋" is translated as "konjac" and "磨芋" is translated as "mill line" (I don't even know if that last one is accurate though). In Zogmeister's defense, though, both initial characters look very similar and they have the exact same pronunciation (mó). Thumbtax (talk) 12:30, 4 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Anime and manga references

I would strongly recommend the removal of this section. Here is a nice quote from User:Wikimachine that summarises the reasoning:

As per WikiProject Military history Popular Culture guideline,

"In popular culture" sections should be avoided unless the subject has had a well-cited and notable impact on popular culture. If present, the section should be a prose discussion of the subject's cultural significance, cited from reliable sources. In particular, the following should be avoided:

Compendiums of every trivial appearance of the subject in pop culture (trivia)

Unsupported speculation about cultural significance or fictional likenesses (original research)

This tends to be a problem in articles on military hardware (i.e. weapons, vehicles, etc.); for example, the Mauser K98 and the M1 Garand may appear in any World War II film, and their many appearances don't warrant an exhaustive list. On the other hand, a discussion of the Webley representing a stereotypical British revolver, or a conceptual artist's public response to the symbolism of the East European tank monument, are certainly notable.
I suggest getting rid of the popular culture section. It sounds pretty ridiculous. Listing every movies and games like Samurai Xtreeme Superhowerkdsf stuffs and junks is stupid.

Honestly, Japanese anime and manga references in a multicultural botanical/culinary article look extremely unprofessional, I think. Erk|Talk _{-- I like traffic lights --} 06:58, 20 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I agree. I removed the section. I paste it here for reference:

References in Anime and Manga
[edit]

In the Japanese comic Doraemon, the main character Nobita eats a piece of Hon'yaku-Konnyaku (literally translation konjac), obtained from Doraemon's four-dimensional belly pouch, to understand and speak any language.

In the Japanese comic and TV animated series Lupin III (Lupin the 3rd), Goemon Ishikawa's sword can cut through steel girders but not konnyaku jelly.

Konnyaku is also used for several side-jokes in Yotsuba&!. Yotsuba asks her dad what his job is, he answers "Honyakuka" (translator) and she misinterprets this as a "Konnyakuya" (maker of konnyaku). This leads other characters to believe that since he doesn't talk much about his job, he must be keeping trade secrets for making high-quality konnyaku.

As one of several food-based items with consistent jokes in Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, the most infamous regards when Tokoro Tennosuke (Jelly Jiggler) equating the power of an evil force with that of konnyaku when comparing it to chart of various gelatinous/jiggly foods. Not coincidently, the top of his chart is tokoroten, which is what he's made of!

In "Kanon", Yuuichi caught Makoto digging through the fridge for a midnight snack; Yuuichi then dropped a Konnyaku down Makoto's shirt.The next day, Makoto tried to get revenge on Yuuichi by putting Konnyaku on his face while he's asleep. Yuuichi wakes up though, and forces her to eat it.

Pharmaceutical Use

Amorphophallus konjac is, I believe, the active ingredient, or at least some part of the diet pill lipozene, could someone with more knowledge on the subject add this to the article? Thanks, Leftwing07 06:42, 13 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, a part of the plant is used in Lipozene. I've added that into the article--Kedalfax 14:09, 27 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Someone must have removed your edit. David spector (talk) 18:04, 8 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Confectionary use discontinued?

I remember a few years ago eating Konjac Jelly bites, chewy bits of Konjac embedded in jelly and packaged in bite-sized cups. However, the ones that are sold now do not contain Konjac, and in fact the brand I'm eating now "ABC Coconut Jelly" have the words "CONTAINS NO KONJAC" right across the centre of the peel-off lid of each cup. I rather liked the texture of the konjac bits. Product page http://tsanglin.com.tw/english/food/food.htm also says "The product does not contain any konjac." What's the story behind this?

I assume you're in the US. Were you aware of the FDA recall on the product? http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/topics/konjac.html —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 60.43.34.23 (talk) 18:55, 22 December 2006 (UTC).[reply]

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Merge proposal

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section.

The discussion was closed as merge and redirect to Konjac. Most of the article was trimmed, though, as WP:OR. ···日本穣^{? · Talk to Nihonjoe} 03:20, 18 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

On merging Ito konnyaku into Konjac:

Support

Support. Konjac appears to be the superior article, in terms of encyclopedic tone and style. Ito konnyaku is clearly a type of konjac. Geoff (talk) 14:41, 20 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Support; along with a good amount of trimming and editing. --—— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk - 13:07, 9 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Neutral

Oppose

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Diet food -- 6% weight loss

In one study, 6% weight loss was achieved through daily dosing with konjac root. Its mechanism was thought to be that of other fibers -- slowed transit time, greater feeling of fullness. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.166.205.34 (talk) 15:13, 7 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

This from http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA288742

Q Is Konjac Fiber Good for You? I have been reading a lot about konjac fiber from Japan and would like to know what you think of it, and if you know a reliable source for it. A Answer (Published 8/15/2003)

Konjac fiber is a starch from the root of the konjac plant (Amorphophallus konjac) that grows in China and Japan. The popular name for the root in Japan is devil's tongue or konnyaku, and it is prepared there into foods that look like squares or strips of stiff gelatin, with a rubbery texture. The Japanese regard konjac as a health food, especially good for intestinal function. Related Weil Products Dr. Weil's Vitamin Advisor for Supplements & Herbs - If you are interested in supplementing your diet, and want to take the mystery out of choosing vitamins, try Dr. Weil's Vitamin Advisor. Visit today for your free, personalized Dr. Weil's Vitamin Advisor Recommendation.

The main component of the konjac root is glucomannan, a water-soluble dietary fiber consisting of mannose and glucose sugars. It has not been extensively studied in the West, but results of one eight-week trial published in the International Journal of Obesity in 1984 suggested that supplements containing glucomannan fiber might aid in weight loss. More recent studies, including two published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition (one in October 2002 and another in February 2003) suggest that glucomannan can help reduce cholesterol. The second study was conducted among 22 patients with diabetes and found that a konjac glucomannan supplement reduced both glucose and cholesterol levels. advertisement

Konjac fiber and glucomannan supplements for weight loss are promoted on the Internet and elsewhere. Despite the findings of that 1984 study, I would be skeptical of the claims. You also should know that some countries, including Australia, have banned a number of weight-loss products containing glucomannan, which were found to cause choking when caught in the throat.

If you're interested in konjac fiber, try some of the traditional Japanese foods such as shirataki noodles or konnyaku. I've eaten them frequently in Japan and like their novel textures. You should be able to find them in Asian markets or you can order them online.

Andrew Weil, M.D.

Lede

「こんにゃく」は日本でのみ食べられている食材です。wikipediaの日本語「こんにゃく」の項をよく読みなさい。また、「悪魔の舌」などという表現は人種差別以外のなにものでもありません。 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.29.8.202 (talk) 13:17, 3 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Your edit to the lede does not appear to be helpful. I think you meant that "In Japan, konjac is only eaten cooked" rather than "Konnyaku is cooked only in Japan" (which is incorrect). This is addressed to some extent in the section "Cultivation and use" and can be expanded there if you feel it is necessary to do so. As for the comment on "Devil's tongue" being racist (if I parsed your comment correctly), see http://florawww.eeb.uconn.edu/198500882.html — Myasuda (talk) 14:33, 3 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

それはあなたの主観にすぎません。「こんにゃく」は日本以外では日本への輸出作物としてしか栽培されていません。またこんにゃくを表現する「悪魔の舌」など数々のネガティブな言い方は、日本料理を馬鹿にしていた時代に人種差別の観点から名付けられた侮蔑語にしか過ぎません。例えるなら「既に忘れられたはずの“アフリカ系アメリカ人に対しての数々の古い差別的呼び名”を、わざわざ掲載しようとしている」のと同じようなものです。それは差別の拡大再生産にしか過ぎません。122.29.8.202 (talk) 20:22, 3 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

「Devil's tongue」は単にコンニャクの花の形に由来する言葉です。差別でも軽蔑でもありません。Hanayama (talk) 20:45, 2 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]

"Devil's tongue" is a racial discrimination term.114.164.204.239 (talk) 23:24, 16 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

No, not really. Even it if it were racist somehow, that doesn't change the fact that it is sometimes called "devil's tongue". ···日本穣^{? · Talk to Nihonjoe} 01:49, 17 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Ok.You must say so when introducing yourself. "Nihonjoe tongue is devil's tongue.","Nihonjoe hand is snake palm." "My family has devil's tongue and snake palm" Do you promise?114.164.204.239 (talk) 05:38, 17 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I'm sorry, but your comments make no sense. ···日本穣^{? · Talk to Nihonjoe} 05:51, 17 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Yes. It is more nonsense to keep using the racial discrimination word disregarding a local word. You are a racist of the double standard. 114.164.204.239 (talk) 06:52, 17 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

>jhanCRUSH, You are a racist who promotes the racial discrimination. Word of "devil's tongue" and "snake palm" is a racial discrimination to the Japanese. "jhanCRUSH family has devil's tongue and snake palm" Did you understand?114.164.204.239 (talk) 07:01, 17 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Do you call the Africa people and African American, "Nigger" or "Negro"?114.164.204.239 (talk) 07:07, 17 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

>jhanCRUSH, You must be not related if you do not know anything. It is an alias named from the viewpoint of the racial discrimination in the age when Japanese food was not understood. Today, Is African-American called "Negro"? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 114.164.204.239 (talk) 07:59, 17 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Korean"Muk"and Japanese Konnyaku doesn't have the relation either. 114.164.204.239 (talk) 08:03, 17 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Look, 114.164.204.239, if you can't write a coherent sentence in English, there's no point in "discussing" this with you as there is no way to determine exactly what you mean ("snake palm"? Where did that come from?). This article simply states the fact that this plant is sometimes called the "devil's tongue". Regardless of where the name originally came from, it is sometimes called that, and Wikipedia is simply stating this well known and documented fact. If you don't like it being called that, we're sorry, but you'll just have to learn to deal with it. Wikipedia is not censored to protect your delicate sensibilities. Please refer to our disclaimer for more details. ···日本穣^{? · Talk to Nihonjoe} 17:57, 17 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Pronunciation

Is the j a "dzh" sound or a "y" sound (or something else)? (/konjæk/)? The Jade Knight (talk) 10:00, 22 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

In Japanese, it's a "y" sound. Not sure for any other language. ···日本穣^{? · Talk to Nihonjoe} 19:08, 22 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

In Japanese, it's not a j. I'm referring to the English name, "konjac". The Jade Knight (talk) 14:51, 25 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

In English, it's said as a "y", too, as far as I know. I've never heard it said any other way. ···日本穣^{? · Talk to Nihonjoe} 18:40, 25 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

So how is the "Kon" pronounced? Is it "Cone", or maybe "Kawn", as in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan? Donpayette (talk) 15:02, 25 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Lipozene

Periodically, products such as Lipozene, which claim to produce dramatic weight loss but which create little but profits for its sellers, are frequently accused of fraud (there are 62,000 Google hits for this topic, some of which claim a 1.5 million dollar fine by the FTC and that several similar weight-loss products are sold by the same company). Lipozene claims that Konjac is its main ingredient (right on the package). There is controversy over whether Konjac administered in pill form is effective for weight loss or not. Now, I ask all WP editors who read this, don't you think this use of Konjac should be discussed in the article? David spector (talk) 18:44, 8 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Cultivation and Processing?

It would be really helpful if this article included sections on how konjac is (commercially) cultivated (including whether it can be sustainably cropped and the optimal growing conditions) and how its derivative food products are produced. I gather from mention of corms in the article that konjac is grown as an annual: the corms are dug up (most likely after the blooming has completed and the foliage has died), peeled (skinned), dried, and ground - but that's conjecture on my part.Penelope Gordon (talk) 06:41, 14 March 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Smell

According to the TV series "Waking the Dead" (season 6, episode 9 "Double Bind, Part I"), the flower has an overpowering, terrible smell, almost like rotting meat. This Danish website gives a similar description. It would be nice with an authoritative source for this information. Anyone with such a source on hand? --Palnatoke (talk) 19:58, 5 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

A strong, unpleasant smell is typical of the Arum family whose flowers are generally pollinated by small flies normally attracted to rotting meat. Having eaten a konjac product today that was labelled as 'may have a faint aroma', I can testify to a strong fishy smell. Apparently this concentrates in the water around the product and we found it cold be greatly reduced by rinsing about three times (but not eliminated). It doesn't really taste of fish (or anything much) though. The product [[1]] states it is used as a flavouring for vegan seafood, so I added it as a reference. Stub Mandrel (talk) 19:41, 11 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Reference quality

In the leadin, "...konnyaku potato,[1] devil's...", reference: http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/products/p/shiratakinoodle.htm About.com, About.com is not even a secondary reference, I'd class it as quaternary at best. I'm removing it. 203.161.102.82 (talk) 23:48, 19 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Choking risk.

Could it be added that mini jelly cups containing konjac are banned in Australia because of this risk? https://www.productsafety.gov.au/bans/mini-jelly-cups-containing-konjac Swampy 2001:8003:20F7:2E00:512F:2781:FF08:8CB9 (talk) 02:50, 16 February 2017 (UTC)[reply]

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