Why "eggplant," you ask?

A most commendable, though obvious, question.

Berenjena, which is Spanish for eggplant, entered my vocabulary through Edith Grossman's translation of Cervantes' Don Quixote. A pleasant word for an enigmatic vegetable which stuck with me like honey on a spoon seemed a natural choice for my blog name.

"Confessions of an Eggplant" was chosen as a title on a whim, one of those must-fill-in-the-blanks moments upon initial setup of the blog. But it, too, is fitting. What is an eggplant but a tough-skinned vegetable with a soft inside that is quite bitter until sweated with salt, which renders it, once combined with sauces and cheeses and other complementary ingredients, into a tasty, hearty, and satisfying dish? An eggplant is a metaphor for life. At least it is for my life.

I am the eggplant. Coo-coo-ka-choo.