“Seriously Mommy, what’s the difference between a yam and a sweet potato?”

“I told you, they’re the same thing. Why do you keep asking?”

“Because, why am I cutting up sweet potatoes for something we’re calling candied yams?”

“Just look it up.”

The daughter stepped away from the sweet potatoes she was cutting and grabbed her phone to search the question.

“See! No, yams and sweet potatoes are not the same. Not widely available in U.S. grocery stores. Originated in Africa.” She took a screenshot of the colorful infographic for evidence.

Instead of responding to her daughter’s findings, the mother kept stirring the pan of stuffing on the stove.

Her daughter went back to cutting sweet potatoes. Twenty minutes of prep and the candied yams went into the oven.

“That must mean sweet potatoes are a substitute for yams. Like, our ancestors got here and they were like, let’s find food that reminds us of home.”

The mother moved from the pan of stuffing to the pot of collard greens. “Hmm,” something she often said when there was nothing to say.

“Did your grandma grow sweet potatoes?”

“Oh yeah, Mama Kate grew everything. Yams, collard greens, mustard greens, kale, cabbage, carrots, beats. We had hogs too, and chickens, and all of that.”

“Is that why you started a garden at the old house?”

“I guess so, yeah.”

The daughter took a pot of pasta off the stove, drained the water, and started mixing the noodles into a large bowl of evaporated milk, cheese, sour cream, egg, and seasoning.

“When are you gonna start a garden at the new house?”

“I should get to it.”

“I started a garden on my little balcony.”

“I know, what are you growing?”

“Kale and collard greens. I wanted to grow stuff I’d actually eat.”

“That’s good.”

“Should I try growing some sweet potatoes?”

“Yeah, why not?”

“Maybe I will.”

The daughter layered the pasta mixture into a pan with some more cheese – pasta mix, cheese, pasta mix, cheese – and put the pan into the oven, next to the candied yams.

Author’s Notes

I wrote this piece as a dialogue writing exercise for a class. It was inspired by a conversation I had with my mom during Thanksgiving and I thought it’d be nice to share before the end of the holiday season. Can’t believe it’s almost 2024.