Potato Candy

Posted by Jonelle Patrick on March 8, 2012 in Food | 1 Comment

Yes, please, I think I’ll have another!

Before stopping at this shop in Sugamo, I’d only encountered sweet potatoes in their ordinary form – roasted over a charcoal fire and sold from carts pushed by old uncles singing “Yaaaa-ki-mo! Yaaaa-ki-mo!” I have to admit, I don’t actually like yakimo much, but every winter I’m seduced into buying them because of the sheer “I’d never encounter one of THESE geezers roaming my neighborhood in San Francisco!” charm.

I didn’t expect to ever look at a chunk of yam and think it was an acceptable alternative to a slab of chocolate, but these nuggets of toothsome goodness drowning in a sort of honey sauce made me totally understand why Japanese people snarf them down all winter long.

Jonelle Patrick is the author of the Only In Tokyo Mystery Series, published by Penguin/Intermix. If you’d like to try these the next time you’re in Tokyo, directions to Koshinzuka Street are on my website, The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had.