Baked yam: simple pleasures of life

amn, this is NOT a carrot!" But I just won't have it. It looks and tastes like a baked carrot!

Of course, Floyd knows better. Hailing from Tennessee he was brought up on yam, aka sweet potatoes. In the Soviet Union, yams were not a part of our menu: we had to sustain mostly on frozen cabbage out of toilet bowls (joke!). At any rate, this is my first encounter: under the starry Malaysian sky, in the midst of cool and foggy Cameron Highlands. The night is young. We pick baked veggies from the bonfire ashes: potatoes and these, what think are carrots.

There is really nothing to add to a baked yam, just some butter and salt, the Southern way. Wash it well, rub with a wee tad of oil and bake it in the oven or microwave. When it is soft, it's ready. I scoop out the sweet flesh with a spoon. You can also serve it as a perfect side dish for a Southern or African meal.

This is where I lost my yam virginity: