Merriam-Webster added the word “pescatarian” to its newest edition of the Collegiate Dictionary! Apparently, those of us who eat fish but no meat or poultry have effectively communicated the concept to the American population. Woo hoo!
“Edamame” made the list as well. On my “Quick and Healthy Snack” handout, which I created at least four years ago, edamame was a word that necessitated a parenthetical explanation. Even those familiar with the green soybeans in their pods were not quite sure how to eat them. At lectures, I would describe the process of placing the pod between the teeth, using the teeth to strip the soybeans from the pod, and then discarding the empty pod. As I spoke, I would scan the faces in the room and inevitably I’d find one very puzzled expression. Apparently, some people had written off edamame because the pod was just too tough for their teeth.
Although our public nutrition education programs are severely lacking, I continue to feel optimistic as our dictionary grows to include words that may enrich our diet as well as our vocabulary.