Addendum.

After my trip, I texted my one (half British) (half Sudanese) friend to see what all the different eggplants tasted like.

She said they made a curry with them, which I said probably meant that you couldn't tell what they tasted like, and then she said they had a nice texture, and so I told her that that was a nice save.

I wonder if she meant it, about the texture.