Ichiban eggplants still white on underside..PLUS more ???? PLEASE

[MasterJ40]

SORRY if I posted this in two places but trying to get the latest replyers to see it...
Hi,
I planted a small plant from Kroger in a pot but then moved it to the ground, so the first eggplant that grew was laying on the soil. My mom suggested to put pine straw under it to keep it off the straight dirt...I know you harvest them at glossy purple and this one is really shiny and purple but the whole underside is still white...is that because of no light hitting it? I picked it anyways and left it white side up on the table to get sun. Is the white underside normal? I"m sure the rest of the eggplants will be okay because they'll come from higher up and can hang down...

Also, that first eggplant was really fat and I picked it at 6 inches...but the next two are growing longer before getting fat...they are 3 inches but really skinny, whereas the first one was a big fat one almost from the first inches...is that normal too?

I'm hoping these eggplants will have more flavor because me and my Filipino wife bought some Chinese eggplants from Atlanta and she tried to make Tortang Talong, which is eggplant boiled and then smashed and fried with egg. OVer in the Philippines I loved this dish and it was so flavorful, but when my wife made it here, we both acknowledged that there was no taste to it. Will these homegrown eggplants be more authentic or would it be something about Filipino eggplants that we cant duplicate? Thanks for all the help to my many questions!! Jason Parker in Savannah, GA