I never realized eggplants were a large portion of people’s diets until Wednesday; it was the first vegetable to go; and it was the first vegetable that was asked from me. They called it berenjenas, which is Spanish for eggplant, and their faces would light up whenever I handed them one; it didn’t matter its size or color. Surprisingly enough, most of the mobile market’s customers even ignored the possibility of having fruit: mangoes and grapes; all that mattered was to have a berenjena in their bag.
I’ve actually never tried eggplant; my family has never served it in any dish nor have any of my friends shared a dish with me that had the vegetable. So, for me, eating eggplant seemed almost like an anomaly; it was an idea so foreign to me that I couldn’t wrap my head around. Now, I know that might seem ignorant to some; I’ve had my fair-share of locust, guinea pig, khash (boiled sheep feet), and cow tongue; so maybe I’m the weird one for still not having tried eggplant.
For that reason, I decided I needed to try eggplant! Some of the customers told me that you can take the eggplant and make it into a stew when it gets cold or if you’re sick; others suggested to me that I should fry and eat it with honey or salt. Since I don’t know much on cooking with eggplants, I think I’ll experiment with a side dish of some sort; something simple and small.
Let’s see if it works out.
