Silence of the Yams {My adventures with Sweet Potatoes}

I can still remember trying Sweet Potato Casserole at Thanksgiving Dinner.  That sweet gooey NASTY casserole.  YUCK.  Talk about gross.  I mean, you would think something made with cinnamon and marshmallows would be fantastic…. right?

NO – I HATED it – and I don’t hate much.  But the truth was I wasn’t the only one in my family who didn’t like it.

I can still remember the Thanksgiving in our home, everyone was visiting us that year for the holiday. My Mom had made Sweet Potato Casserole. (It is a classic Thanksgiving dish, and my Dad loved it.)  After my Dad got his helping, (and I think my Uncle Mark too…) my mother asked,

“Does anyone want some sweet potatoes?”
[Silence]
“Anyone??”
[More Silence]
“Well, it must be the Silence of the Yams!”
[Whole Family Laughing}

Now I don’t think I had seen the Silence of the Lambs yet, but I did know what it was. (I think my older brother watched it and I wasn’t allowed.)  My mother’s joke was perfectly timed, and became one of those family memories I am sure will always be with me.

But there is another side of this story.  You see, ever since that first bite of YUCKY Sweet Potato Casserole;

Flash forward many Thanksgivings, (Most of which spent without nary a sweet potato in sight), and I am suddenly faced with Sweet Potatoes again.  My brother (who is an AMAZING cook) brought Sweet Potato Balls with a Blue Cheese Creamy Dipping Sauce to the gathering.

Why would my brother do this to me? He hated sweet potatoes right along with me!  But he promised me that these were different, they were good.  After several people in my family told me the same thing, I took a deep breath, and said, “Would someone please pass the Sweet Potato Balls?”  It was time to try something new.

I admit it – I was scared.  I was scared I would gag, and flashback to that first bite of Sweet Potato Casserole.

I closed my eyes and took a bite.

WHAT!  HOW COULD THIS BE? These were really really good!  Salty, sweet, great herb flavoring.  Not overly mushy. REALLY REALLY GOOD.

I ended up eating several more sweet potato balls that afternoon.  And when I got back to Las Vegas, I tried a baked sweet potato.  I liked that too.  And sweet potato fries. And mashed sweet potatoes.  I thought to myself that it had taken me 20 years to try something new, and when I did, I learned I was missing out on the yummy sweet potato.

I did not however try the Bleu Cheese creamy dipping sauce.  I don’t like creamy sauces.  Hey – one new thing at a time right!?