Did you know that jicama was the most entertaining food at the supermarket?

It all started last week when AJ was saying something over and over again that I couldn�t understand � a fairly common scenario. It sounded for all the world like �jicama, � although that really didn�t make any sense. I asked him if he was saying �jicama� and he started giggling maniacally and began yelling, �JICAMA, JICAMA, JICAMA!�

Since then, every time I push him on the swings at the playground, he starts his jicama chant. If you can get him to chant while he�s on his own two feet, he might even do a little dance for you.

Today we went to the supermarket and he was whining and complaining like he was being tortured, as he usually does. I can�t say that I blame him. I�m not the world�s most efficient grocery shopper. In desperation, I handed him a jicama and said, �Do you know what this is? Jicama!� He got a look of pure joy on his face, like someone had just handed him Hokey Pokey Elmo� instead of a bumpy brown root. He took the jicama from my hand and did not let it go until we got home.

So we had jicama for lunch. AJ had his with macaroni and cheese. He was underwhelmed and requested an apple instead. I had mine with baba ghanoush, which I must say was perfectly delicious.

Incidentally, I originally wanted to use Tickle Me Elmo as the �bertoy, but discovered it is no longer available when I tried to find a link. I did uncover a terrifyingly wide array of sites devoted to Tickle Me Elmo, however. Including

� Elmo as ECON 101

� Elmo as a character in a Dungeons and Dragons game

� Far too many versions of this dumb joke

� Assorted forms of Elmo torture

� Elmo vs. the Geneva Convention

Well, this entry was a waste of your time! I�ll try to do better. I�m trying to finish a chapter by the end of next week, so I have to spend some time doing the writing I get paid for. So stay tuned.

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