Eggplant. Neither an egg, nor a plant, the eggplant is actually considered a berry by scientists. As with many words in English, the name itself means very little on the surface, but we at chicken and rice have committed to further study to see if any additional truth could be derived from its mysterious moniker.

Step 1 of our experiment was to carefully slice the eggplant into cylindrical sections and then pan-fry them until brown. Though both eggs and eggplant can be fried in a pan, we still considered this result inconclusive. Step 2 was to layer the eggplant with in between tiers of a mixture of ground beef, tomato, onion, and various spices. This step taught us even less. Step 3 was to top the concoction with gouda cheese and let it bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Though this step again was meaningless, we seemed to have randomly stumbled upon a version of moussaka, which itself is derived from the arabic word musaqqaʿa, meaning chilled. Since moussaka is normally served warm, again the term assigned to it centuries past makes no sense. However, we were able to conclude with a t-stat greater than 5.0 that moussaka is delicious.

Friends, what is in a name? That which we call an eggplant by any other name would be just as nonsensical, but just as delicious. That which we call a moussaka by any other name would be served just as warm. Not just English, but all tongues of this world are meaningless. It is our job, our goal, our sacred responsibility at chicken and rice to see the dear perfection which is owed despite the title. Instead, we shall call you by your true name. We shall call you delicious.