Bali Mardana: According to Vedic culture, is seaweed edible?
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Bali Mardana: Seaweed? Is that edible?
Prabhupāda: I don't find. Why they should eat seaweed?
Bali Mardana: In Asia, many people eat seaweed. Certain types of plants that grow in the sea.
Prabhupāda: No, no.
Rāmeśvara: In America it is very popular.
Prabhupāda: That is all right, but why man should eat seaweed?
Kṛṣṇa-kānti: When there are so many nice things.
Prabhupāda: There are so many vegetables.
Bali Mardana: If vegetables are not available.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Kṛṣṇa-kānti: They don't have to cultivate seaweed. They just take.
Jayatīrtha: They have to go diving with lungs and tanks to collect it rather than plough the earth.
Rāmeśvara: They consider it a delicacy in the restaurants for the macrobiotic people, the young people who are into health foods. It's a health food. It's a delicacy.
Prabhupāda: This is also eaten. (laughter) Yes. This is eaten by the Japanese. They eat it.
Bali Mardana: They say it contains much iodine, certain minerals.
Prabhupāda: They make some food and it is sold. What is called, that? They make some cakes by soaking in the water.
Devotee: Soybean?
Prabhupāda: Not soybean. They make some foodstuff. In India also they are making now. When I was in Ahmedabad, guest of one Mr. Patel, his business is to collect this.