Eggplant Trivia!

I just learned a few new things today about EGGPLANTS... or for some of you, Aubergines.

Yah, random, I know. but are you surprised? I hope not. I'm Queen of Random... ok, maybe not Queen... princess?? or... maybe 4th in line to the throne... cousin to the Queen of Random. whatever. you get the idea. I digress... so these are a few interesting things I found out about eggplants. Seriously, they're interesting...:

1) Botanically, eggplants are BERRIES! If you think about it, it's a big DUH, but... still... it feels weird. In my dictionary, berries have to be round, juicy and sweet!

2) Eggplants belong to the same family as Potatoes and Tomatoes!
then why didn't they keep rhyming? like Motatoes?

3) Eggplants can cause or worsen arthritis! WHAT? they're THAT powerful?! They look, taste, and feel like an empty bag of air to me! (I love them though!)

4) Eggplants can cause gastritis (iritating gastric lining) for some ppl! wow wow wow, I'm starting to get scared of eggplants!

5) BUT they can lower blood pressure.... phew, atleast they're good for SOMETHING right?

And one of my favorite tid-bits....
6) Eggplants are richest in NICOTINE compared to any other (edible) plant! On average, 9kg (20lbs) of eggplant contains about the same amount of nicotine as a cigarette. -wikipedia
I bet you had NO IDEA!!! crazy, huh?
"I'm gonna go take an eggplant break. Be right back."

and last but not least:
7) Have you ever wondered why they're called EGGplants when they don't look like eggs at all? cuz I did! Where I~ come from, all eggplants are PURPLE and I've never seen purple eggs... except during Easter... and we don't do Easter eggs in Japan! But, I found that eggplants were originally white! I had NO IDEA! I've never seen white eggplants! So here's a generous photo for those of you in the same situation:


"The name eggplant developed in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada because the fruits of some 18th century European cultivars were yellow or white and resembled goose or hen's eggs." -wikipedia, obviously

Crazy! I had no idea Eggplants come in white!

So that's it. I have a new look on eggplants now. More respect. I love eggplants but I totally thought they're full of nothing when it came to nutrition and health. Sorry eggplants. I still love you!

BUT I still think eggplants are funny. Whenever a foreign person who thinks they're being sexy, funny and flirty comes up to me and asks "So, how do I tell a Japanese girl "hey there sexy" in Japanese? ;)" I teach AND CONVINCE them to go find a Japanese person to say "You look like an eggplant" in Japanese...

So, take home message for today:

Eggplants are great fun.... except if you have arthritis and try to flirt with Japanese girls.