Monday, July 25, 2011

07 How to Choose Your Watermelon

(took a break for comic con, will keep at the daily sketches in a bit :D)



I always love watching people pick watermelons. They gently bounce the fruit, pat it, look very intensely at it....It seems like everyone has their own method or secret for picking the very best one.

My dad was generally the one in our family who chose the watermelons, and I remember almost all of them being delicious. My sister and I came to think of him as some kind of...Watermelon Whisperer. I, too, wanted the magic touch! So recently one night (after eating some of yet another perfectly tasty watermelon), I asked him:

"How do you pick your watermelons, Dad?"



A good watermelon?


to pick a good watermelon you need to look for three things


"A good sound when you pat it!"




If you listen closely to that sound you can tell how juicy and thick the watermelon will be.


"The scars! The scratches! If a watermelon has some of these it will taste better"


Huh? Why?


Well, you see....


Animals can tell when a watermelon has a lot of sugar in it, so they're always clawing and trying to get into the sweetest melons. That leaves the scratches and scars.


Really?!?!


HAhahaha


No.







"You see those little black dots in the scars? Those are beads of sugar that have oozed out of the melon! You can tell that it will be sweet."



Now, the last thing you need to look for is the bu--...button...buh--...


...buh...


"The butt, Dad?"


Yes, the butt of the watermelon.


You see, right here?


The butt.

some text
"When you push on the butt of the watermelon, you should feel some tension and it should bounce back a little. It will tell you how firm and juicy the watermelon is" heh heh

So:


"The butt!"


....Aaaand that's how I learned the three, completely unscientific secrets of good watermelon-picking. I haven't tested them myself, so I have yet to confirm their accuracy....but I'll be sure to let you know if I do!

26 comments:

Marcelo Vignali said...

I fancy myself a watermelon whisperer. I've got my own secret technique that allows me to find the best watermelons -- but I may adopt some of your dad's methods as well. He sounds like a man of much wisdom.

The way I see it, a watermelon whisperer can never know too much! I'm always willing to learn.

BTW, funny drawings!

Chris Ybarra said...

I knew animals were behind those scars! Had bad watermelons before and clearly due to not following these steps. Thank you Carrie!

Megan Nicole Dong said...

Watermelon whispering is serious business! I was once at the market with my grandmother when she started doing the watermelon butt-patting technique. Some other old ladies passing by stopped her and asked for a lesson in watermelon-whispering. Five minutes later there were about fifteen old ladies huddled around the produce aisle, smacking away at these watermelons while my grandmother supervised.

Anyway, A+ post! Love the drawings (and that gif) :)

Cheyenne said...

this is such a great post!! so adorable, i love the little watermelon animation haha :D

James Lien said...

I LOLed cuz my dad does that too..

Watermelon butt..lol

Dat pattern on the watermelon, so cool!

Unknown said...

Baahahahahahahahahahahah this is hilarious! hahahahah Watermelon butts hahahaha Was this a real conversation?

Unknown said...

hahahahahahaaah great post!

Ryan Green said...

That little animated gif was worth the read. Great post, Carrie.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Charles Santoso said...

Learning something new everyday :D Thank you! What a great story :)

Ted Blackman said...

Hey.. you're FUNNY! My sincerest apologies for not visiting more often. I'm going to work on that.

So, it sounds like a nice, firm butt is also an asset in the fruit world.

Carrie Liao said...

@ Marcelo: Haha thanks so much! Yes, watermelon whispering secrets are definitely some of the most valuable pieces of wisdom my Dad has shared. I'm intrigued about your technique! I'm sure I have much to learn before I can whisper watermelons like a pro.

@ Chris: You are welcome, young grasshopper. I hope these will lead you down the path of deliciousness

@ Megan: hahaha I love the phrase "smacking away at these watermelons". Oh, those old ladies.And thanks!

@ Chenny: Haha thank you!

@ James: Thanks! Yeah, I think all dads must have their own TOTALLY SECRET AND UNIQUE technique for watermelon picking.

@ Rico: It certainly was! The butt part was totally real :)

@ Mel: Thanks! :)

@ Ryan: Thanks! You know that little watermelon secretly enjoys it... o_o

@ Charles: Yes, I just had to share the wisdom! Thank you! :)

@ Ted: Thank you! Yeah, I'm starting to think a nice firm butt is just an asset everywhere...

Tung Nguyen said...

Very enlightening.

Unknown said...

Bahaha, I rarely laugh at internet stuff but you had me snickering with the animals clawing over the watermelon. (Especially the back one going all "THIS ONE!" with it.)

Great work. You should make more of these. :p

Izzy said...

This is really great! I've got a giveaway going on, and it's the last day to enter- so it would be great if you'd like to enter! Izzy xo
www.swampedinflowers.blogspot.com

"KAT" {for short} said...

hahahaha!!! carrie, this made me laugh pretty hard! :p the butt! i will remember that! the animation is just so cute as a bu...butt-on! :p love it! tell your pops great advice!

Beatriz Iglesias said...

I totally LOVE this watermelon history! Hahaha!! Great blog, btw!

^__^

Felipe Nascimento said...

hauhua very good x)

Gabby Zapata said...

Hahahah that is awesome! I now want to go to the grocery store and buy me some watermelon!

ChrisD. said...

Very funny! I need to visit here more often.

Michelle said...

I love this post! I have learned a lot! Must put it to the test. :)

Ben Lo said...

LOLLL! awesome )

Juan M. said...

This is awesome.

k.mediani said...

This is super duper awesome! I really love how you did the zoom in of the little black dots on the scar.. and I'm gonna try all these tips when I see a watermelon at the store!
My dad also always chose watermelon & all other big mysterious fruits.. but never get to ask him yet.
Thanks for sharing the secret through this great post!

Avner Geller said...

I laughed so much at this!! especially on the animal part.. I seriously went :"REALLY???" in my mind, and than saw the rejecting "NO!" lol... Great stuff, and wonderful blog!

Alishea said...

Hahaha! Thank you for sharing! This made my day. Just found your blog & it's fantastic! :)

 
eXTReMe Tracker