I bought a huge watermelon on Friday. 15 pounds to be exact. Having cut up watermelon in the fridge was my solution to the heat wave.
While snacking on it, I realized how tightly watermelon is associated with childhood for me. I remember sitting on the deck of the house I grew up in and seeing how far I could spit the seeds. Watermelon always had to be eaten outside for this reason. I don't have a single childhood memory of eating it indoors.
So when did the black seeds disappear?
It's almost as though the seeds are symbolic of easy childhood summers. Gone are the care free days full of playing and exploring. Somewhere along the way the black seeds disappeared too.
I've got a weeks worth of vacation booked for August. I wonder if I'll be able to find a seeded watermelon and a deck to spit them from?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Seedless watermelons are a hybrid you get when you cross a diploid watermelon with a tetraploid watermelon. Like crossing a horse with a donkey to get a mule, only with diploid and tetraploid watermelons. Diploids have two sets of chromosomes and tetraploids have 4. Like a mule they can't reproduce though I don't think.
ReplyDeleteMy kids were just asking the other day about the seeds in watermelons. I told them they used to have seeds when I was a kid and you had to eat them outside. They don't like seeds and they are happy that watermelons don't have seeds. I remember spitting them off my deck too. I guess its just like anything, the quality of stuff these days is sub par. But 15 pounds is a mighty big melon!
ReplyDeleteI never thought about it until you mentioned it, but you're right!! The seeds have disappeared!!! Even our produce is leading us down the lazy path :S
ReplyDelete