Photo: Manila Market

I have a dear friend originally from the Philippines who introduced me to a lot of new things. She'd take me out for authentic Filipino fare to show me the world beyond egg rolls (lumpia) and noodles (pansit). I was like a two year-old in the buffet line, pointing at things for her mama to explain.

"That's ube... Oooo-bay," She'd say it once, then I'd repeat it. She'd say it slower, then put it in context:

"It's purple yam."

"Oh, of course. Purple yam, I am," I'd reply like it was all coming back. "I've seen that before in a book by Dr. Seuss."


To my complete surprise, Filipinos make lots of delicious things out of purple yam...

Photos: M.Kashahara Larryleeyc LauraWannabe Finna Dat

	photo: midorionna

I bought a couple jars of purple yam jam as gag gifts, and kept one in the cupboard for me. It was a silly reminder of a lesson I thought was important to remember.

To put it simply: I don't know jack.

If something as fundamental as a vegetable can escape the list of things I know exist, then my perspective of the world is narrow. So whenever I think I understand something completely, I remember the purple yam jam. Damn. No matter what you know, there's always more you don't.

* * * * * *

The other day I forgot my rule of perspective when Rufus mentioned a recipe he wanted to try. It called for Chinese parsley, which I concluded definitively must be exotic and weird. It's probably blue and has thorns. Smells fishy, but tastes sweet.

We set out for "China Town" which in this town is a couple of shopping centers. There's a grocery market with all kinds of other worldly looking stuff. I don't go there often, but I like to. It's like traveling to a distant land. As expected, much of the produce was unrecognizable to this orange-yam-eater and looked way exotic. I was right: We were walking around in a Dr. Seuss book.

But where's the strange parsley we were on a mission to find? Ah, there it was. As it happens, we already had some in the fridge. I did not know this, because I don't know jack — Chinese parsley turns out to be: cilantro.

Damn purple yam jam.

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