When I was a kid, I used to despise eggplants. They taste funny and they smell funny, too. I always thought that eggplants tasted horrible—even without actually eating one. My mother would always try to bribe me to eat my eggplants, but I always declined no matter how much ice cream or chocolate she promised to get me. I was adamant about my personal childhood war against all eggplants. I was convinced that eggplants were the enemy.

Then, when my family and I were on a vacation in my mother’s hometown, my uncle invited us to have breakfast in his house. He was my favorite uncle, so when he put Tortang Talong on my plate, I knew I had no choice but to eat it. The first bite was magical. I never ate Tortang Talong before, so I didn’t realized how much I was missing until that day. My mother very surprised when she saw me eat two pieces of Tortang Talong.

Since then, my mother didn’t need to bribe me to eat my vegetables—including the eggplants. I have grown to really love eggplants—especially TortangTalong.

I like it fresh from the pan and a bit salty. I love adding diced tomatoes in it to give it an added sweetness. I love pairing my tortangtalong with steamed rice and a hot cup of coffee. It is a very filling and satisfyingly healthy dish to start the day with.