ABC Wednesday , Letter W for war time food.

This year is the 70th anniversary of the end of the World War 2. I like to show you the food my people had to eat during the Japanese Occupation.

We are not exactly excited about pumpkin because we don't eat pumpkin. Many friends don't understand why.

You see, Mum and Dad grew up as kids and teenagers during the Second World War when the Japanese plundered Borneo. Import of rice and other food ceased, and the poor people depended on root vegetables and pumpkins to survive. Dad said they ate so much of the boiled thing without any salt or oil. They were so scared of them. Hence, they never served it to us.

When I was in primary school, Dad would drive us pass a small river where there were barges laden with pumpkins. Dad told me that the pumpkins were for pigs. This "Pumpkins were for pigs" were so ingrained in me that though I am past half a century, I would still not touch pumpkin.

This is why I don't eat pumpkins no matter how delicious it is. 

I do not like tapioca very much. Manihot esculenta, with common names cassava (/kəˈsɑːvə/), 

It must be properly prepared before consumption. Improper preparation of cassava can leave enough residual cyanide to cause acute cyanide intoxication and goiters, and may even cause ataxia or partial paralysis.^[8]  wiki



Taro or yam is a difficult plant to process and make your hands very itchy.

Kumara/sweet potatoes, both leaves and tuber can be eaten.

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