Akycha generally can’t eat eggplant unless she makes it herself — she “sweats” the eggplant ahead of doing anything with it and says it removes the bitterness. (Cuts eggplant into slabs, salts both sides well, lets them sit for half an hour, then washes them off and proceeds.) She’s also a supertaster (which has gone all wonky and sideways with fibro, so she really really can’t deal with bitter flavors), so I just mention in case this isn’t a trick you’ve seen before.