During our conversation group on Tuesday, one of the french participants was telling the group about a meal he had in Marseilles recently. It included "aubergines". I love eggplant and could eat it every day, but Terry doesn't like it very much, so we have it only occasionally. I wonder why he doesn't like it, maybe it's the name. We speak English at home, so when I serve "aubergine" it is really "eggplant".
The conversation continued when a French woman asked me (the only Anglophone), "what is aubergine in English?" I replied, "eggplant". There was a flurry of quick french chatter among the french participants, most of which I couldn't understand. But, I guessed that it had to do with my answer.
I asked them what they were talking about and they asked me again to say the word "eggplant". So I repeated it, trying to say it slowly in case they weren't understanding. After this, one of the woman said, "Non! that is definately not the translation for aubergine, you have made an error".
Back and forth we went. Yes, this word is really the translation. No, it can't be, it's such an ugly word, "eggplant". OK, I get it. We are a group of aubergine lovers! It is a beautiful word and a beautiful fruit. (Actually, it's classified as a berry botanically, according to my internet sources).
I finally had to produce a dictionary to assure my survival in the group.
The word "eggplant" is rather homely, I admit. Perhaps this is why Americans don't eat more eggplant. It sounds yuccy. I suggest we should immediately change the name, world-wide to aubergine.
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