Vegetables and How I Cook Them: Eggplant

It’s hot as blazes outside, and the eggplants are just coming in. The lake finally feels warm. There’s a veil of sweat on my back throughout the day. I’m cooking dinner in a dress because, after a swim, I can’t with pants. The eggplants are ready. Transformed from a yellow-flecked, purple flower to glossy-skinned, heavy-fleshed rounds. Different varieties showing different shapes and colors—ranging from the deep purple euphemism to stark white globes to obelisks streaked ivory and violet down the length.