Korean singer Hee Young sang the single Are you still waiting?, from her album So Sudden for the Korean drama Lie to Me’s OST which I absolutely adore. The song has a folksy feel to it and it get your head bobbing and just feeling the beat.
It’s the inspiration for today’s post.
This is Cherry, my married cousin who is waiting for a lot of things, people and our latest mascot ( in this picture anyway), Ana Banana.

This is Ana Banana, she is also waiting for anyone, just anyone who would shower her with the attention she demands. On a daily basis.

A few minutes later (while they waited for each other) they meet . There’s a lot more to say but I realize I no longer have any additional photos. Ana Banana’s full name is Aryana, named after a Filipino fantasy-drama’s lead character Aryana who happened to be a mermaid. Ana Banana’s right hind leg has an undeveloped joint, she can’t fold it and thus walks and runs with both her hind legs in sync. She is also a lazy little banana, who (usually) just pushes her lower body around because she doesn’t feel like walking. If it’s difficult to picture out just imagine a mermaid moving on shore, like that, that’s how Ana Banana is. She is so adorable. Everyone loves her. And Ana Banana knows it.
Here’s a sweet, delightful snack (Japanese origin) perfect as you wait.
 
Daigaku Imo 
(serves 4-6)
3-5 medium sweet potato (any kind you’d have in hand, I used purple)
sufficient oil for frying
1 ½ cups sugar
100 g water
1 tsp soy sauce
a handful of toasted white sesame
 
1. Scrub and wash the sweet potato well then peel. If you have the orange or yellow sweet potato I suggest you leave the skin on for some colour. Cut the sweet potato into wedges. Put the cut pieces into cold water. Heat a deep pan over medium heat and toast a handful of sesame seeds. Set aside. Take note that there will be bits of sesame jumping all over the place, so toast the seeds in just about 2 minutes.
2. Heat up enough oil in a large pan, or use a deep fat fryer. Drain and pat dry the sweet potato pieces, and put into the hot oil. Fry on medium heat until cooked through and lightly browned.
3. While frying the potatoes, heat up the sugar and water in a small pot to make sugar syrup. Once the mixture is thickened and slightly caramelized, add in the soy sauce. Remove immediately.
4. By then, the potatoes should be about done. Take the potato pieces out of the oil, drain and immediately put the piping hot pieces into the sugar syrup mixture. Toss the potato slices well till they are all coated with the syrup mixture. Sprinkle with toasted sesame before serving.
See, it’s perfect right? You may also, if feeling indulgent, to add a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream on top. All versions I found online used black sesame seeds, I didn’t have those so I opted for the white ones. I think it goes well with the purple flesh of the sweet potato, yes?
**I was supposed to post this five days ago but I’ve been getting an http error on my image uploader.**
***IMPORTANT: I forgot to add the note indicating that this post was inspired in part by Sherie of http://maameemoomoo.com/blog. I did put the link but forgot the note thus I apologize.***