Agar and konjac/konnyaku are super common here. Agar, in particular, is a staple dessert ingredient in Indonesia (since seaweed is abundant here and this helps avoid potential issues of which animals are used to make gelatin). I know agar is normally used for scientific purposes in the west, but it's to us what fries/chips are to you guys. I chose to have a cake-shaped agar because some peeps in our extended family are vegetarians and my brother has to watch out for eggs (eating them can cause him to become hyperactive without intense exercise to burn them off). Plus, it's nice to try something new.