Conversation

Went down a rabbit hole re whether "aubergine" was related to "auberge". Remembered school French teacher saying it was slang for "traffic warden" due to their purple uniforms, but found actual origins far more fascinating:
"All the aubergine-type names have the same origin, in the Dravidian languages..."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggplant

Which reminds me. Early onset of summer calls for nasu nibitashi (ナス煮びたし) chilled overnight in the fridge🙂
https://www.japanesecooking101.com/nasu-nibitashi/