Cooking practice for Japan

Most of you probably know how incapable I am of cooking, but I have been constantly lectured by adults and friends alike that I need to learn at least the basics before setting off for Japan. Well here is my first attempt at eggplant. What was supposed to take me only '10 minutes' according to mother dear, took me almost an hour. To top it off it turned out sour, even though I thought I added sufficient salt. I absolutely despise foods that are too salty, so in fear of doing just that, I left it like that for my mother to deal with when she returns home. xD