Talk:Eruca sativa

Excessive reference to U.S. presidents

I came to this Wiki entry to read about cultivation of rocket. Much to my dismay this article refers to U.S. presidents, and their supposed constituents. Enough already. Who cares if Hilary Clinton's supporters drink wine or beer? Who cares if Obama mentioned rocket in a stump speech. Ridiculous. America's fixation on their presidents is sickening. Everything imaginable is related to their stupid presidents. What a loser country.

Excessive use of "it"

Looks like the article's author has fallen into the trap of writing the name of the subject once and then using the word "it" for every subsequent reference. I'm not going to bother to correct it (pardon the pun).

71.241.75.45 (talk) 22:08, 13 September 2008 (UTC)

In other "news," it appears that arugula is related to the radish. I wonder if the chemical composition of their pepperyness are similar? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.101.228.101 (talk) 00:27, 31 August 2012 (UTC)

Names

What is arugula?

In Latin it's eruca; in French, roquette; in northern Italian, rucola; in southern Italian, rughetta or ruchetta; in English, 'rocket'. Chameleon 23:51, 26 May 2004 (UTC)

... and Rauke in german. -- Lightkey 06:02, 6 May 2005 (UTC)

... and arúgula in Spanish. — Pekinensis 13:29, 6 May 2005 (UTC)

... no, actually, in Spanish it's rúcula, not arúgula. Arugula comes into English directly from Italian, not Spanish. The fact that the French form won out in Commonwealth English was actually a later development; the American "arugula" is, in fact, one of many "archaisms"...Early Modern English words preserved in American English that have since been supplanted in Commonwealth English by other words or forms. Tomer^talk 04:00, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

... neither...not. The Spanish original name (in Spain) is neither rúcula (this is a very recent snobby imported name from the Italian original, from those who rediscovered the rocket in fashion cooking and do not know the Spanish name, and it is now widely used as the commercial designation in the markets) not arúgula; the Spanish traditional name is 'oruga' (written like caterpillar); it comes clearly from he Latin name Eruca. The word Oruga for Eruca vesicaria (Eruca sativa) and the plant qualities and properties appears already in many old garden and medicine books, from the time of Charles V ad Philipp II (16th Century, i.e.: Andrés Laguna's version of Dioscorides, or Gregorio de los Ríos' Garden Agriculture); I use to grow oruga, and I have seen and collect it wild in different locations in Spain, and in some places in the countryside it is still consumed and appreciated by the country people. After living sometime in the US and Canada, I have seen those name variations apparently coming form Spanish of Central America -which of course is as much respectable and valid as traditional Spanish from Spain-, only that the name 'rúcola' is as well a recent introduction there. Other related wild plants with a mustard-close taste are consumed in Portugal, Spain, Italy: mainly Diplotaxis tenuifolia, Diplotaxis muralis, Diplotaxis erucoides, which are also known as oruga silvestre (wild rocket) and jaramago. See the main scientific work on Iberian flora: Flora Ibérica. Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid/Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas http://www.rjb.csic.es/floraiberica/floraiberica/texto/pdfs/04_072_60_Eruca.pdf and http://www.rjb.csic.es/floraiberica/floraiberica/texto/pdfs/04_072_57_Diplotaxis.pdf

... should the name of the entry be changed to "Rocket (herb)", if "Rocket" is the International English name and "Arugula" specifically the American? -- 128.118.112.94 04:26, 20 Jul 2004 (CET)

...As explained above, "rocket" is the "innovation", not "arugula". Tomer^talk 04:00, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

Maybe not "(herb)". How about "(plant)" or "(food")? — Chameleon My page/My talk 07:54, 20 Jul 2004 (UTC)

Redirects are cheap.  :-) Tomer^talk 04:00, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

The Italian term is rucola, not arugula, which is not an archaism at all, but a recent American coinage (it appeared first in the New York Times in 1960, according to the Oxford English Dictionary). ---The user formerly known as JackLumber 22:50, 9 July 2007 (UTC)

Why is the cheese burek described as "squeaky"? Is this vandalism? How is a cheese squeaky? Aaroncorey (talk) 17:14, 17 April 2008 (UTC)

Hi Aaron- I don't know about the burek mentioned, but I've heard of squeaky cheese somewhere before, so I did a quick search. A couple results:

• http://www.essortment.com/food/squeakycheesec_scbs.htm
• Leipäjuusto

-Eric ^talk 17:57, 17 April 2008 (UTC)

Disambiguation

I added this page to the Rocket (disambiguation) page (because I couldn't find this when looking for "rocket").

... Well, it's a bit esoteric, but I guess if you really feel that way... Jfiling 23:23, 30 December 2005 (UTC)

That sounds like a grand idea. Tomer^talk 04:00, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

I also added a disambiguation clause, from Wild rocket, in the lead section, as superficially the leaves of these plants can be mistaken, and I managed to get direct to the this page by following the search prompts without actually encountering the Rocket disambiguation page. Rocket_(disambiguation)#Plants might be a more suitable destination for the link. Trev M  ~  18:37, 29 July 2010 (UTC)

This article appears to refer to two different plants. One a woody plant growing up to 1 metre height, with substantial flowers and the other a soft leafy vegetable commonly used in salads. They do not appear to be the same plant. Dtohjam (talk) 00:54, 8 July 2012 (UTC)

How to grow Arugula

The main article could be improved if there were a word or two on growing conditions, how long it takes for a seed to germinate, and what kind of soil is best to plant it in. The packet says the seeds take 45 days to grow to maturity. But if I want to pick the seeds for a mild homemade mustard, not as biting as real mustard, how much longer will it take for it to bloom, and then for the blooms to go to seed?

I just bought a packet of Arugula seeds for $1.49 and was wondering if it would cross with the mustard I planted thirty years ago, and allowed to go to seed. From what I understand, all species of Brassica tend to cross with one another, whether it is Brussel Sprouts, Turnips, Cabbage, Cauliflower or Mustard. They crossbreed with one another, and lose their special characteristics, and become very average. It has been 30 years since I planted mustard, and it went to seed, and crossed with some of the local Brassica weeds found in the foothills of Portland, Oregon. (About a year ago, I chopped up some wild brassica, cooked it in the microwave, and added some cheese for flavoring. It gave me a horrendous stomach ache like you wouldn't believe. I writhed in agony for the rest of the day, but the next day I was okay. The same thing happens when I eat raw mustard, and don't cook it well enough.)198.177.27.12 01:20, 22 April 2007 (UTC)

Interesting. Please register for an wikipedia username and post. I think the question needs to be asked if you were actually eating Arugula. I can imagine mistaking a similar looking weed for the real thing. Also, are you able to eat turnips ok? Nodekeeper 08:31, 10 August 2007 (UTC)

John McCain reference incorrect

It wasn't McCain who questioned the price of arugula in Iowa, but Barack Obama. At minimum the reference should be corrected and dated, but for some reason I don't understand "edit the page" doesn't have the reference.

Which is I would think better than intruding an American political campaign gaffe into this article.

Could someone fix this? Lonnie Nesseler 14:24, 24 April 2008 (UTC)

I deleted that niche market/Obama bit (again). Not sure how relevant it is for the article, but it definitely doesn't belong in the intro. The Obama > McCain change was just someone clowning around. -Eric ^talk 15:57, 24 April 2008 (UTC)

That gaffe was the first time I had ever heard of arugula, and the reason I looked it up (for what it's worth). Fishal (talk) 17:08, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

I too redeleted the niche market blather. This attempt to portray arugula as an aloof and elitist vegetable is outlandishly political and irrelevant. I think it's an effort by anti-arugula factions to decrease the popularity of this healthy and tasty plant. These same people did this to cannabis in the 1930s, and now this. In any case, unless you have real market statistics to back up what you put here, don't even try to pull these shenanigans. MisplacedFate1313 (talk) 16:39, 21 August 2008 (UTC)

I just restored the "niche market" sentence, after reading in the Economist about his "arugula-flavoured" politics. Having no idea what arugula was, I came to Wikipedia. Knowing that arugula is another name for rocket (which I am partial to myself) didn't really help me understand its relevance to US politics! Akiyama (talk) 11:52, 22 August 2008 (UTC)

I understand your puzzlement. Obama is being painted as "elitist" because apparently he enjoys arugala. I didn't know what it was either. I figured it was some kind of fancy drink or something, so I came here to find out what it was. It's salad. Go figure. --Briefer (talk) 18:42, 22 August 2008 (UTC)

I added a reference to Obama and arugla to follow the niche market sentence. The reference is based on this url:

http://www.newsweek.com/id/134398, and many others. I don't know how to add the reference. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Geneven (talk • contribs) 12:25, 23 August 2008 (UTC) Geneven (talk) 12:40, 23 August 2008 (UTC)

I see that my reference to Obama was removed. It isn't a matter of courtesy to explain why? As you can see from the above, this is a current topic of conversation, and as you can also see from the above, some people think that McCain mentioned the stuff. Why isn't this a proper topic to mention? What was wrong with my entry?Geneven (talk) 20:02, 24 August 2008 (UTC)

I see that my polite question about why my entry was deleted doesn't even merit a reply. Thanks a lot.76.173.15.226 (talk) 18:39, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

This is an encyclopedia article about a leafy green. The fact that a food item makes the American news (especially in the inane way it did in this case) does not mean we have to make note of it on Wikipedia. -Eric ^talk 03:16, 8 September 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for finally explaining why my addition was deleted. Of course, we do not "have" to make reference to this in Wikipedia -- which articles "have" to include anying in Wikipedia? In this case, several people, me included, and others above, came to Wikipedia for further explanation of this political phenomenon. But Wikipedia cannot mention it? This was also discussed in the Economist, by the way, but of course Wikipedia has much higher standards than the Economist.76.173.15.226 (talk) 02:41, 10 October 2008 (UTC)

I agree. "Arugala eating" is competing with "latte sipping" as a short-hand for "out of touch elitist" in U.S. political culture. (Note that neither signifier has much to do with the actual market/demographic data for the products in question.) This may be a passing thing, inspired by Obama's "gaffe" (“Anybody gone into Whole Foods lately and see what they charge for arugula?”), but it seems to have achieved some critical mass separate from that specific news peg. Clconway (talk) 21:36, 10 October 2008 (UTC)

Canadians use 'rocket' lettuce as well!

I have never, ever hear do of arugula lettuce or salad in Canada and I am PURE Canadian...we use 'rocket' in our grocery stores. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 60.225.224.18 (talk) 09:45, 18 November 2011 (UTC)

That's cool. I'm sure you're proud of how American you are not... — Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.201.174.24 (talk) 15:43, 28 April 2012 (UTC)

Media Matters for America

I notice that the section on Obama's reference arugula was tagged, apparently because it cited Media Matters for America (a liberal site), as possibly not relevant. This edit was made by an editor, Thagor Orlando, who is tagging or removing all wikipedia references to MMFAm as POV.

However, since the reference is in refutation of a conservative claim, it seems to me both relevant and not POV, as it allows a reader to see both sides of the argument and decide for themselves. Someone quoted this on the editors own page -- a

* Acceptible Use MMfA is clearly an organization with a political slant. However, that does not mean that their opinion cannot be quoted in a Wikipedia article. Political-based articles routinely cite sources which have a political stance (e.g., NRA, PETA, NAACP). There have been at least 25 reliable source discussions about MMfA, and the general conclusion of the RS forums is that the organization cannot be used as a source of news, but that their opinion can be cited. The text cited above makes it clear that MMfA is a liberal organization, and that the comment in question is their opinion.

I am simply going to add the description "liberal" to the media matters reference, so that it is clear this is from a POV source -- just as the attacks on Obama came from a "conservative" source. This is not POV but is known as "reporting the conflict" and it seems to me is perfectly acceptable.

For more on this see: Thomas Sowell#Mediation and Arbitration? Mballen (talk) 06:48, 28 March 2013 (UTC)