My first time eating eggplant was during an event at a winery my wife (who at that time was still my girlfriend) and I were attending. One of the tables had small sample-sized portions of ratatouille; I’d heard of the dish but had never tried it. I picked up a cup, making smart comments to the effect of “I hope this one doesn’t have too much rat in it!”
After I’d tried it, Mrs. Tweeze asks me, “So, did you like it?”
“Yes,” I answered (and I did like it; I wasn’t simply being polite).
“You know what’s in it?” she asks. She then mentioned to me that one of the main ingredients in ratatouille is eggplant.
I’ve eaten quite a few other eggplant dishes since then.
Eggplant is endlessly adaptable...It lends itself to many combinations .