A question of vegetables (AM)

Like most people I spent the better part of my undergraduate degree sitting in bars and cafes discussing the desert island vegetable question.  Looking back on this I am reminded of the scene in movies when old people say reflectively "Ah, young people they think they know everything." And then talk about how stupid that is and then I always think, "Shut up Albert Finney." And yet when I think about the vegetable question, Albert Finney seems to make a lot of sense.

Back in those days there was no question about what vegetable I would chose. Potato. Potato. Potato. Potato. It seemed to me then, as it does in many ways now, the most delicious and the best. You can mash it, chip it, roast it, make it into bread, even use it in a sweet treat if you were desperate. So versatile. Oh, potato. And, at 18 that was all that I thought mattered in the world, but now I'm older, I've seen more, lord knows I've eaten more, and often I wonder, would I still take potatoes to my desert island or would eggplant have to become my life long companion.

Think about it. Eggplant is caramelly, mushy, delicousy, can also be chipped, curried, pasta sauced, pizzaed. Eaten hot, eaten cold. I know that potato can do all that and more but I just think that eggplant is so delicious I may not be able to forsake it for potato. And yet. And yet.

But perhaps even asking this question is what those old people in movies are talking about. Perhaps the question itself is the naivete. As if a question like this could ever be answered. Perhaps wisdom can only come when I realise that I couldn't ever chose a single vegetable for eternity. And with that I reach maturity! BAM!