Sir! Don't sniff those melons!

[Fresser]

It was a scene worthy of "Seinfeld."

Mama Fresser and I were grocery-shopping when we happened upon the produce department. One chap was examining the papayas when he decided to inspect it for freshness. At least that's what I THOUGHT he was doing.

He pressed the fruit flat up against his nose and sniffed. Then he examined it visually, and proceeded to nuzzle it again, pressing the poor fruit up against his face and mouth.

Mama Fresser was at once catty and aghast. "What a slob!" she blurted. "I should report him!"

"Yeah, Ma," I retorted. "Alert the Melon Police." Actually, I wanted to holler at him, "Hey, pal! You kiss your girlfriend like that?"

Come to think of it, even George Costanza never hickeyed fruit before he bought it. Probably because he mooched it off of Jerry...

[Siren]

I had my first 'sassing' at the Hay Market in boston back in April. Checking through some not so fresh produce, he yells at me to not touch it. My jaw dropped and I say "how the hell else am I going to see if any of this is fresh or not." He scowled and we walked away and bought our veggies at several other friendlier vendors.

[ladyyoung98]

personally when i buy melons i do take a whiff of them... after ive thumped them and thay sound like my father taught me they should...but he also taught me to take a whiff of them just to be sure u can smell its sweetness.....u have to smell them right in the area where they were picked as thats where u are going to fnd the sweetest smell..if its ready..if u dont smell it..dont buy it..however u dont have to stick ur nose up all into it to smell it and your nose doesnt have to touch it.... im sure u get the picture...its not rude to smell it..but it is urude not to metnion unclean to stick your nose on it...after all somebody else will buy that melon later

[Gifted Gourmet]

This rather reminds me of a discussion here: Ripe or not? No more squeezing and bruising, assault & battery of produce now over? in which our members confessed to all manner of "fruit abuse" ...

Thanks for the Seinfeld concept and do whatever you wish to those adorable melons, Fresser!

[Daniel Rogov]

There is an old Turkish saying to the effect that "the man who does not smell his melon is not worthy of eating it". Wise move!!!!!! ..............Unless of course you want unripe or overripe melons.

[marlena spieler]

recently my husband and i were wandering around sorrento, italy, and stopped at a fruit and veg store, alerted to some gorgeous meloney smells (and strawberry smells too).

when my husband picked up a melon to give it a sniff, the owner grabbed a big--and i mean really really big, like 6 feet long-- stick and smacked his hand with it!

marlena

[Carrot Top]

recently my husband and i were wandering around sorrento, italy, and stopped at a fruit and veg store, alerted to some gorgeous meloney smells (and strawberry smells too).

when my husband picked up a melon to give it a sniff, the owner grabbed a big--and i mean really really big, like 6 feet long-- stick and smacked his hand with it!

marlena

←

Ah! But you did not finish the story, Marlena. What happened next?!

Did you buy a melon?

[marlena spieler]

recently my husband and i were wandering around sorrento, italy, and stopped at a fruit and veg store, alerted to some gorgeous meloney smells (and strawberry smells too).

when my husband picked up a melon to give it a sniff, the owner grabbed a big--and i mean really really big, like 6 feet long-- stick and smacked his hand with it!

marlena

←

Ah! But you did not finish the story, Marlena. What happened next?!

Did you buy a melon?

←

Ah, carrot top, my little carrot top, you know me too well. Okay, well I yelled at the fruit guy in italian that this is not nice of him, he is not a nice man while my husband led me, no dragged me away, but not very far. Right across the street was another fruit and vegetable shop where I ostentatiously purchased a big delicious melon, calling great attention to the purchase calling over to the bad man, and then paraded it in front of the bad bad melon and berry man saying something stupid like: i would buy from you but you are too mean and bad.

at this point my husband really did grab me away, figuring that these guys have friends who might be......shall we say important. all this was taking place on a cabbled windy little road.

all told, i got to yell at the guy, that was satisfying, hey you don't get to smack my sweetie without my having a go at you, guy! and we got a melon from a nice man and that was good (it was a lovely melon, and i must say, rekindled my affair with my melon baller) . and my husband wasn't injured by the bad man and his stick, though he was a bit frightened once i started yelling at the guy. but all in all, it ended okay. in fact, i felt triumphant!

and i went home and believe it or not, carried my melon in my carry-on back to britain, and cut it using my melon baller, and served it just the way i fell in love with it in sorrento, studded with wild strawberries (the rest of the purchase).

thanks for asking!

Marlena

ps god do i love your photo, i think yours is the most popular avatar in egullet, at least my favourite right now! i really think that is you! (please don't tell me it isn't!). (too lovable!)

[weinoo]

It was a scene worthy of "Seinfeld."

He pressed the fruit flat up against his nose and sniffed.  Then he examined it visually, and proceeded to nuzzle it again, pressing the poor fruit up against his face and mouth.

←

That's why I wash EVERYTHING - before I cut into it!!

And while touching may be frowned upon, most vendors will let you smell their fruit as long as they're the ones holding it and you make nice!

[Carrot Top]

in fact, i felt triumphant!

and i went home and believe it or not, carried my melon in my carry-on back to britain, and cut it using my melon baller, and served it just the way i fell in love with it in sorrento, studded with wild strawberries (the rest of the purchase).

thanks for asking!

Marlena

ps god do i love your photo, i think yours is the most popular avatar in egullet, at least my favourite right now! i really think that is you! (please don't tell me it isn't!). (too lovable!)

←

Why of course it is me, Marlena! Thank you for the compliment. I must admit that I am particularly happy with my new hairstyle! No fuss, no muss, no flyaway hair. . .and whenever I get stressed out I can run my fingernail across it and be covered with a lovely, soothing lime scent. Guys like it, too. . .says it makes them hungry! And it doesn't "remind them of Mom" at all!

Your story. . .yes, you should have felt triumphant! Good job! Perfect for an Italian environment, too, your actions. I am sure that you "made their days", both the melon-sellers. . .the Good Guy and the Bad Melon Man! Drama.. . so important.

[marlena spieler]

It was a scene worthy of "Seinfeld."

He pressed the fruit flat up against his nose and sniffed.  Then he examined it visually, and proceeded to nuzzle it again, pressing the poor fruit up against his face and mouth.

←

That's why I wash EVERYTHING - before I cut into it!!

And while touching may be frowned upon, most vendors will let you smell their fruit as long as they're the ones holding it and you make nice!

←

Not my guy with the stick! his sign said Non Toccare, and he meant it!!!!!! I"m sure if my husband had stuck his nose in to sniff, he would have smacked him on the nose!

good fruit and veg guys/gals encourage a good feel (of the fruit that is) and sniff (ditto). but sometimes in italy (or france, too... other places i can't think of at the moment...?) shopping ettiquiette can be perplexing.

marlena

ps: but the guy with the melon in fressers first posting. EVEN I don't want that melon after he's finished with it! reminds me of a zucchini scene from what movie was that......?

[McDuff]

There is an old Turkish saying to the effect that "the man who does not smell his melon is not worthy of eating it".  Wise move!!!!!!  ..............Unless of course you want unripe or overripe melons.

←

I always liked the old Persian version...."A man has a wife for duty, a boy for pleasure, and a melon for ecstasy."

[Alex]

in fact, i felt triumphant!

ps god do i love your photo, i think yours is the most popular avatar in egullet, at least my favourite right now! i really think that is you! (please don't tell me it isn't!). (too lovable!)

←

Why of course it is me, Marlena! Thank you for the compliment. I must admit that I am particularly happy with my new hairstyle! No fuss, no muss, no flyaway hair. . .and whenever I get stressed out I can run my fingernail across it and be covered with a lovely, soothing lime scent. Guys like it, too. . .says it makes them hungry! And it doesn't "remind them of Mom" at all!

←

This isn't quite on topic, but Carrot Top, given your avatar, I think you'd love the book Bad Cat: 244 Not-So-Pretty Kitties And Cats Gone Bad. And how about a post on The Avatar Story thread? Inquiring minds want to know.

[Carrot Top]

This isn't quite on topic, but Carrot Top, given your avatar, I think you'd love the book Bad Cat: 244 Not-So-Pretty Kitties And Cats Gone Bad. And how about a post on The Avatar Story thread? Inquiring minds want to know.

Funny you should mention that book, Alex. I just saw it yesterday at the book store. . .it was absolutely adorable (and somewhat shocking, too! ). What photos!

There is not much to tell about the avatar, really, dear. But if I can think up a good story for a lark about the whole thing, I'll post it. . .

[Abra]

A few years ago we rented a house in Provence for a couple of weeks, and so shopped at many of the local markets. Pretty universally it was considered the height of rudeness to touch any of the vendor's produce. You were expected to ask for what you wanted, and you could say how soon you were going to eat it, and even ask for and receive a lesson on how to cook or eat the item in question, but you were not to touch! It took some getting used to.

Thank heavens I never saw a big stick involved, though.

[lancastermike]

In Philadelphia's famous Italian Market, were Stallone ran through in the first Rocky movie, it is considered dangerous to touch the produce. I believe this may have changed a little, but I remember my fist trip to the Market. I found out quickly that the produce was there for you to buy, not paw through. No one whacked me with a stick, however.

[Sonia]

Let's see if this counts. I was once looking at bananas at the local grocery store. Another woman was checking them out as well. I reached out to take a couple when WHAAAM !! She slapped my hand !! I was astonished, flabbergasted and afraid.

I left the bananas and I left the store.

[suzilightning]

This isn't quite on topic, but Carrot Top, given your avatar, I think you'd love the book Bad Cat: 244 Not-So-Pretty Kitties And Cats Gone Bad. And how about a post on The Avatar Story thread? Inquiring minds want to know.

Funny you should mention that book, Alex. I just saw it yesterday at the book store. . .it was absolutely adorable (and somewhat shocking, too! ). What photos!

off topic - we have Bad Cat. have passed it around work, friends, neighbors and all agree it is a hoot. each person choses their favorite cat and put's their name on it(i'm page 8, neighbor carol page 116).

on topic- i'll smell the melons but not slobber over them - EWWWWW

[Gifted Gourmet]

I always liked the old Persian version...."A man has a wife for duty, a boy for pleasure, and a melon for ecstasy."

←

Can you actually say that here??

[Milagai]

baffled by thread.

is it even possible to buy prpoduce without

touching, sniffing, tapping, etc.?

the only way i can tell if a fruit is ripe etc is

to smell and / or tap.

if a vendor "non toccare"-ed me, i really would

not know how to buy stuff....

milagai

[prasantrin]

This isn't quite on topic, but Carrot Top, given your avatar, I think you'd love the book Bad Cat: 244 Not-So-Pretty Kitties And Cats Gone Bad. And how about a post on The Avatar Story thread? Inquiring minds want to know.

←

Is it just me, or does that link go to "Cheese Primer" by Steven Jenkins?

[Carrot Top]

Is it just me, or does that link go to "Cheese Primer" by Steven Jenkins?   

As I look at your own avatar in this moment, prasantrin, I would say that it probably is "just you".

But cheese never made a kitty go bad, now. . .did it! Silly humans. . .

[prasantrin]

As I look at your own avatar in this moment, prasantrin, I would say that it probably is "just you".

But cheese never made a kitty go bad, now. . .did it! Silly humans. . .

←

In fact, cheese is one of my kitty's favourite human foods! Particularly sharp cheddar. She'll even do a mouse imitation for a little nibble!

[OTT78]

In Italy in the supermarkets we have disposable plastic gloves in the fruit and veg department. If you use them you can TOCCARE as much as you want. Here in NY I usually cover my hand with a plastic bag if I touch any fruit. I know where my hand has been before...

[Eden]

baffled by thread.

is it even possible to buy prpoduce without

touching, sniffing, tapping, etc.?

the only way i can tell if a fruit is ripe etc is

to smell and / or tap.

if a vendor "non toccare"-ed me, i really would

not know how to buy stuff....

milagai

←

but that's the way they do it (sans stick!) in most of the freg stands in Italy that I've been to. My method is to pick one where the stuff you can judge by eye looks really good, and then trust that the quality on everything else will be as high. And ,as mentioned, giving them input about what you plan to do with it/when really helps. I've gotten some really amazing produce this way. If you're a local it's easier of course because you can take the time to get to know different shops & figure out who is best for what items etc. but this method has generally worked well for me.

Oh and hey if you're going to have a fight with a produce guy, where better to do it than Sorrento? at least you can go to Davide for Gelato after...