A Talking Yam

Another early food with eyes memory I treasure is reading an African folktale about a talking yam. I read this story in reading class in about second grade or so, and I vividly remember learning the vocabulary word "anthropomorphic." I was pleased to learn there was a specific word to apply to talking inanimate objects.

The folktale belongs to the Ashanti people of Western Africa, and there are many re-tellings of it in children's books, including Too Much Talk. Check out this version on Saints and Spinners.

This image of the talking yam is from children's illustrator Sue Todd. The story has also been featured on the PBS series "Between the Lions" as Oh, Yes It Can. I'm happy to see the story is inspiring new generations of children to contemplate the idea of talking food.