h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

We all have them I'm sure, so this won't be that shocking. It started off well, with me thinking how much I'd enjoy walking along the beach. It was sort of soft and misty without any breeze, the sun was still behind the morning clouds, the sea looked so gentle.

Then, I went to put on some suitable clothes and the heavens opened, so walking anywhere was put on hold. I hurriedly closed my roof and concentrated on cooking the vegetable that was today's task.

You can see the results of the cooking here - the last photos in the batch show the sequence. This huge vegetable, it must have weighed a kilogram at least, is locally called 'batata'. Actual potatoes are called papas, or patatas. But the 'batata' is really a white sweet potato.

http://tinyurl.com/oaty7a9

I've been really confused about these for years. To begin with I thought that they'd be orange inside, like the variety we normally have in the UK. (I believe the US would know this type, the orange fleshed sort, as yams.) The first time I tried to cook them, I baked them, but it was a total failure and so they've been consigned to my 'ignore in future' section of the vegetable section in the supermarket.

But I've asked around and everyone was surprised I'd had a problem, and they all said the same - they were easy to cook and worth while eating. You can take a look at the photos; I made mash and chips.



I've been waiting for various people today - none of them showed up. And just when I thought I'd pour myself a drink and settle down to learning some more Spanish, because my partner in the language learning messaged me to remind me to do my homework - a neighbour rang my doorbell to let me know that my mains water main had burst and was watering the palm trees below my balcony. He very kindly turned my water off for me by the meter, and I phoned the plumber. No answer from the plumber.... still no answer..... sent texts.... no answer. So now it's dark out there and I shall have to put up without water until I get hold of someone to fix the pipe.

As I said, it's just one of those days, tomorrow is another day.

Plumbing is the diy job I enjoy least.

[Amy P]

Orange sweet potatoes are yams? And there was me thinking that it was the white ones (with brown skins) that are. How disappointing. I've always wanted to try yams, and now I find I have and they are not all that.

Neither are refried beans.

Reeses pieces on the other hand are lovely.

They are sweet potatoes in the North and Yams in the South, I have been told that they are different, but I don't know why? Yams should always be served 'candied' lots of sugar I think.

F S

I recommend baking orange sweet potatoes/yams and whipping them with light cream, butter, a bit of grated Pecorino Romano cheese, cinnamon and ginger.

From research, it seems that the sweet potato comes in lots of varieties, but is from the Convolvulaceae family (if you know Morning Glory, that is in the same group) True yams are from the family Dioscoreaceae. I am now wondering if that is what I'd bought when I had that long ago disaster... they do sell other things as well. Some sort of yukka anybody? It looks just like a section of a thin tree trunk.

Anyway, it does seem that in certain parts of the USA, they refer to sweet potato as yam.

I do love the orange type, but we don't get them here! What I have found though, is that there's a traditional little turnover type pie that uses this white sweet potato. I'll investigate further.

No water? But then you had settled for a drink anyway. So what's the problem?

Oh, alright, I know what your problem is. I have been without bathrooms for weeks - and I absolutely hate it! They say the kitchen is the most importsant room. It isn't. The bathroom is. And after that the bedroom. And after that the kitchen. Maybe.

Quite, and you've no idea just how many times you feel the need to use the loo - I am sure my bladder has gone into overdrive out of hysteria!

A little secret we do here in hurricane season, put the plug in the bathtub and turn on the tap, turn on the water just long enough to fill the tub and then use a bucket to refill the toilet tank each time you use it.

A little crude, but it works!




F S

Well, that would have worked if I'd known I was going to be without any water.... beforehand :D

Depending on how bad the burst is you might be able to get enough flow to fill the tub, might be worth a try, yes we do fill ahead of time


F S

Good luck getting a Spanish plumber out!

On the confusing subject of 'The Naming of the Yams', may I add in my New Zealand experiences where every supermarket has a selection of different varieties. And none of them is ANYTHING like what the Northern Hemisphere calls yams.

New Zealand yams are very small knobbly veg, if memory serves, roughly 3 to 4 inches long and 1 to 2 inches thick.

What the NH calls Yams, the SH calls Sweet Potato.

Plumber been and gone. Water escapes are serious here.

Now for more Pilates

Both your plumber and pilates make me enjoy my even more

I've only ever done anything with sweet potatos a couple times.... and, I've no idea which of the seemingly huge variety of actual veg, they were now, having read this I made sort of roasted potato chips, with tons of spices with them... kinda nice, but not sure if it was sufficiently differnt to what one might make with an ordinary potato, to warrent doing it... I guess there are otter porposes they could be put too, which might reveal them in a more individualistic light vegetables scare me.... at least ou know where you are with sausages and bacon plumming sucks... Mind, my plumming seems settled for once, its teh electrics that could do with a safety conscious and knowledgible detailed examination

Sweet potatoes are yams? Wow!

Maybe if you'd offered the plumber yams and a drink he'd have arrived in a much more timely fashion

I like sweet potatoes roasted with a roast dinner instead of normal potatoes. Kinda squishy but lovely with gravy.

Deb