This post is part of Watercooler Wednesday, a weekly gathering of bloggers, posting on arts/culture at Randy Elrod's Ethos blog...check out Randy's post on Redemptive Satire!
In celebration of Earth Day, which was yesterday (I just got the memo), I've decided to talk about eggplant. Yes. Eggplant.
It is so lovely in its plant form. I'd love to have this growing in my garden just for the pretty factor.
However, for every flower on the plant, I might be forced to harvest and dispose of the equally lovely, deep purple fruit of this plant. This is because I've recently decided (yesterday) that I don't like eggplant. At all. Actually, I despise it. I remember eating eggplant when I was a kid and wondering why anybody would want to eat it...it was slimy, flavorless, disguised as something crunchy and wonderful, covered in sauce and melted mozzarella. I think I tried eggplant again in the late '90's. This time it was hiding in a lovely ratatouille, served at room temperature over crostini. A far better way to eat it if you have to - but still slimy. I tried it at a restaurant a few years ago, coated in breadcrumbs, smothered in bechamel and marinara and 3 cheeses. I really wanted to like it. I tried to will my tastebuds to acquire an appreciation for the texture and flavor. My final attempt at eggplant was yesterday. I followed a recipe for eggplant rolls. The cast of characters included breadcrumbs, olive oil, ricotta, marinara, pesto, and pasta. I'm sorry to report that it just did not work out the way I had hoped it would. I've had to place eggplant permanently on "the list of foods I will never eat again." And it's a good thing I made this decision, because after doing some quick research (wikipedia), I've discovered that "Eggplant is richer in nicotine than any other edible plant, with a concentration of 100 ng/g (or 0.01mg/100g)."
Is there a least favorite food in your life?
Happy Belated Earth Day!
