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Aubergine
A man shares a bowl of berries, and a young woman falls in love. A world away, a mother prepares a bowl of soup to keep her son from leaving home. And a son cooks a meal for his dying father to say everything that words can’t. In this poignant and lyrical play, the making of a perfect meal is an expression more precise than language, and the medium through which life gradually reveals itself.
98 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 8, 2024
So good, pretty sad
July 3, 2019
Ray, a Korean American and a talented chef, is struggling with the inevitable death of his father. He doesn’t know what to do so leans on his father’s hospice worker Lucien and his girlfriend Cornelia for help. Cornelia speaks Korean so she is able to call Ray’s uncle in Korea, who jumps on a plane as soon as he can.
This is such a beautifully written play. The conflicts of cultural identity, generational understanding, and acceptance of death are beautifully interwoven. I look forward to seeing this performed on stage!
This is such a beautifully written play. The conflicts of cultural identity, generational understanding, and acceptance of death are beautifully interwoven. I look forward to seeing this performed on stage!
August 3, 2023
Overall, I always am a fan of media that portrays the importance of food in regards to our humanity. Julia Cho expresses that well. The only thing I could’ve done without was the beginning monologue/the ending. I didn’t find it so necessary as Ray’s story was enough in my opinion to get the point across. Besides, it sort of took me out of the reality of it by implying that Ray somehow always knows what to cook for someone? Nevertheless I enjoyed it and would recommend it.
November 2, 2020
A beautiful, multi-lingual script about loss, grief, and what food can mean to a plethora of different people and cultures. Beautifully written, the words and pages flow like poetry almost. Well worth your time!
August 12, 2018
Oof, my feelings. Julia Cho is really, really great.
March 28, 2023
It was sometimes unbearably corny, especially that ending😭
January 22, 2026
“We hold the hands of the dying. But we are not the ones holding their hands. They are the ones holding ours.”
Sobbed. I want to be Julia Cho when I grow up.
Sobbed. I want to be Julia Cho when I grow up.
December 18, 2023
the feels. THE FEELS
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews