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Watermelon


Ben Hong

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During the days of summer lassitude, whether at a picnic, at the cottage, anytime of day, one of the great pleasures in life is the consumption of watermelons. Most of us would just roll up our sleeves, grab a large wedge of the watery delectable and bury our faces in it. But a person did something once that I thought was odd, she sprinkled salt on the wedge before eating it. When I expressed my curiosity at the practice, she said that it wasn't anything out of the ordinary, that a lot of people did it. My question is, does anyone else do this and is it common among those "weird Chinese"?

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well if the fruit is sweet enough there no need for salt.

I think most people add salt to the fruit if its not quite ripe

adding a little salt to anything sweet actually heightens the sweetness

try it with pineapples or wash strawberries in a little brine and rinse

but it is only a very very light dusting of salt.

think about the salt rim on maragritas its that kind of idea.

personally i would rather chop up the water melon and stick it in a blender with some ripe strawberries and ice:)

Edited by origamicrane (log)

"so tell me how do you bone a chicken?"

"tastes so good makes you want to slap your mamma!!"

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Gotta be 'au naturel' for me .. nothing added .. cut up in nice pieces for eating ... daintily :shock: ... none of that dripping stuff on my chin from burying my teeth into the big slice of melon ... :biggrin: I don't do the salt thing. ever.

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

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Amazing Watermelon Facts and other useful information.

I certainly believe fact #1 on that thread, namely that China produces 15X as many watermelons as any other country. They probably consume it all, too. People who stereotype black people as watermelon-eaters have never been to China (and have never met my extended family). I don't dare come back from Costco this time of year without a watermelon or two.

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Probably getting a little of topic, but one of my favourite childhood treats is to eat "jambu air" (rose apple? water apple?) with dried sour plum powder 酸梅糖. Guava goes really well with the powder as well. I think the powder is essentially salt, sugar and ground dried sour plum.

I am yet to try watermelon with this powder, but I think watermelon is sweet enough and flavourful enough not to require it.

Edited by wongste (log)
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How do I eat it? With gusto! :biggrin:

I'm not Chinese, but I couldn't resist answering.

I wonder if it will still be watermelon season in northern China in August and what other interesting melons I'll find in Dongbei (the Northeast, aka Manchuria).

Michael aka "Pan"

 

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I like my watermelon au naturel as well. My older relatives seem to like salt to "enhance the sweetness" of the melon.

Anyone know how to cook the white part of watermelon rinds?

I remember eating it but can't remember how or with what it was cooked ?

I love Chinese pomelo rind (goo look pei) that had been soaking in soya sauce...

thinly sliced and steamed on top of pork. :wub:

Dejah

www.hillmanweb.com

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Anyone know how to cook the white part of watermelon rinds?

I remember eating it but can't remember how or with what it was cooked ?

Just check here: Recipe instructions are detailed.Watermelon rind

I will say that when I am going to make watermelon rind pickles or preserves, I "shave" the melon first to remove all the green skin, before I cut it to remove the red flesh.

I have an old draw knife, made for wood working, that has a 5 inch blade. It is perfect for taking the skin off a melon, particular the larger, long watermelons with the really touch skin.

draw knife

Yet another wood-working tool that is very handy in the kitchen for jobs that do not have a specific gadget made for them.

Edited by andiesenji (log)

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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Watermelon rind is best eaten with the jar in one hand, and a fork in the other.

I agree, 1000%!

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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Cubed watermelon and cubed feta cheese served as a salad drizzled with good EVOO and chopped mint. My friend Ali told me how delicious this was but didn't believe her until I tried it. Now a convert.

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

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Way back over a half century ago, before the availability of Chinese foodstuffs became prevalent in North America, esp. in the smaller towns, we used to use the white part of the watermelon rind as a substitute for winter melon. Wasn't bad.

Btw, watermelon rind pickles is a personal favourite. :wub:

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  • 7 months later...
I can finish a huge watermelon by myself in one day.  :smile:

My family likes to save the rind for facial...... Also they boil the white part and say it is good for cooling the body.

Whoa...dejavu... You are describing my pops. (LOL) watermelon facial. Never seemed to worry much about his complexion, but boy once that watermelon slice was finished, he'd trim the rind and voila, watermelon exfoliation...

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  • 4 months later...

Ben Hong,

I agree with the above posts. The Chinese do not commonly sprinkle salt on their watermlon before taking a bit. But Americans do and as you were told, it is quite common. Just as apple pie with sharp cheddar cheese is fairly common for Americans.

As mentioned above, salt enhances sweetness. Good chocolate chip cookie recipes will have a bit of salt in the ingredients. Good savory Chinese dishes will almost always have a bit of sugar in the recipe.

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the thing people always seem to notice about me is how i completely ignore watermelon seeds. i don't notice or remove them. i forget they're there, and have never been bothered by them at all. mostly i just get a quiet, "oh, you're eating the seeds, too?" they're soft and small, so who cares?

seedless watermelons have never seemed as rich and flavorful as the seed-filled ones. is that just me?

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the thing people always seem to notice about me is how i completely ignore watermelon seeds. i don't notice or remove them. i forget they're there, and have never been bothered by them at all. mostly i just get a quiet, "oh, you're eating the seeds, too?" they're soft and small, so who cares?

seedless watermelons have never seemed as rich and flavorful as the seed-filled ones. is that just me?

Watermelon seeds are small. I agree. Soft? Hmmmm... I don't think I would call that soft. Unless you are referring to the seeds from a "seedless" watermelon. Those "seeds" are ivory-white and small. The real, natural, seeds are hard-shelled in dark-red color. (The Chinese sun-dry watermelon seeds and eat them as snacks - especially popular during Chinese New Year.) I suppose you can swallow the seeds whole if they don't bother you. I feel that the seeds always get in the way when I chew the fruit.

Seedless watermelons can be very sweet. I like those that have a small "cavity" in the core, and their texture is a bit powder-like.

W.K. Leung ("Ah Leung") aka "hzrt8w"
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well, softer than other seeds, i guess. i chew teh watermelon, but just dont' notice the seeds. i have eaten them ever since i was little. for some reason my teeth never encounter the seeds!

I just want to get a clarification.

Are you talking about the "seeds" from some "seedless" watermelons, like this:

http://www.all-creatures.org/recipes/i-wat...n-seedless.html

(Note the picture of a seedless watermelon in the middle of the page.)

Or the seeds from regular watermelons, like this:

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extensi...watermelon.html

(Note the picture of a regular seeded watermelon in the upper right of the page.)

If that is the latter case, you do not notice these seeds?

Edited by hzrt8w (log)
W.K. Leung ("Ah Leung") aka "hzrt8w"
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I also eat seeded watermelon and never seem to notice the seeds. Obviously, they are there, but when i eat, I just don't think about them. I think it's all to do with the chewing method. The seeds are exceedingly slippery and round. So unless you do a straight up down chomping motion, the seeds will slip out and not be chewed.

PS: I am a guy.

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