The Eggplant Problem

Several years ago I discovered that I really like Indian food. Curry, tandoori, naan, sag, dal, chickpeas, masala, paneer, whatever, I dig it. I go to the Indian buffett and I don't even ask what most of it is. I just put in on a plate an go for it. I really love. Well, one day at my favorite place to chow on this stuff they had fritters made of eggplant. I'd never had it before but seeing that I will eat pretty much anything they fix at this place I tried it. It was wonderful. So I began to sample other eggplant dishes. Eggplant parmesan for example. Turns out I like that too. Now I'm eating eggplant all the time.

Here's the problem, well a couple of them really. Eggplant, after you get past that pretty purple skin, is ugly. And it only gets worse when you cook it. It's sort of a gray/green and slimey. I mean it really looks bad. I guess that is why it is usaully in a sauce or breaded or somehting. You reallly shouldn't look directly at it when you eat it.

The other problem is that eggplant wears out it's welcome pretty quick. You love it when you start eating but it doesn't take long to reach what I call the Eggplant Threshold. Here is an example: tonight we went out to one our favorite places and I had the eggplant parm sub. I big hoagie roll filled with breaded eggplant, marinara and cheese. It is wonderful. I dug in and was doing fine when suddenly, about three quarters of the way through, I just couldn't take another bite. It wasn't that I was full, I just couldn't bring myself to take another bite of eggplant. I had reached critical mass. One more taste and I would have gone into my Mr. Creasote impression.

I just don't get it. So I finished my fries and polished off the last of my beverage and that was that. Knowing that eggplant also doesn't travel well I passed on bringing that last bit home. Still I'm not sorry I ordered it. It was damn good.