In pursuit of watermelon

0

I’ve gathered you here today to discuss an item of grave importance, something that has been on the minds of many during these troubled times; an issue so great that it may indeed have a direct bearing on life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness: How to pick a ripe watermelon.

Ok, life and liberty probably aren’t at stake here, although you could make an argument that a really good watermelon is included in the pursuit of happiness – which, by the way, always looked hilariously misspelled to me when I was a kid and we paraded past a copy of the Declaration of Independence on our way to the school lunchroom. That fancy-shmancy 18th century “S” always made the word “pursuit” look like “purfuit.” It didn’t pay to dwell on it, though. One random “purfuit” running through your brain during lunch could make you laugh, and then you’d have milk shooting out of your nose right when Christine Reade was looking at you. Not good. Not good at all.

But back to choosing a good watermelon.

I get asked about this all the time. I don’t know why. I guess there’s something about me that says, “Here’s a man who knows his watermelons.” Probably because I look like I swallowed one.

I know three basic Watermelon Selection Protocols: The Thump, the Crack and the Spot Check.

My dad believed strongly in the Thump method. He would go through an entire bin of Charleston Grays, rapping them all with his knuckles until he found one that sounded just the right note – a slightly hollow B-flat. Which, coincidentally, was the same note sounded when he used the Thump Technique on my skull.

I have tried this method, but I have to thump my head first to get the right note, and after two or three tries I have a headache and don’t want watermelon anymore.

My brother uses the Crack method. You lean on the watermelon and if it makes a quiet cracking sound, it’s ready. You have to be careful about this one. A loud cracking sound means you leaned too hard and you’re buying that melon whether you want it or not.

This leaves the Spot Check method. You turn the melon over and look for the spot where it sat on the ground. If it’s white, don’t buy it. If it’s yellow, do. If there is no spot, put down the eggplant and get your eyes tested.

I’ve decided to go with the “What The Heck” method. You pull one out of the bin and say “What the heck, maybe it’ll be ripe.” By my reckoning, you have just as good a chance this way as you do with thumping, cracking and checking, and as a bonus, it turns a watermelon into a Christmas present. You never really know what’s inside until you open it. It might be a wonderful surprise, or it might be socks and underwear. You take your chances. And if you hit the jackpot, a good watermelon is well worth the purfuit.


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In pursuit of watermelon

0

I’ve gathered you here today to discuss an item of grave importance, something that has been on the minds of many during these troubled times; an issue so great that it may indeed have a direct bearing on life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness: How to pick a ripe watermelon.

Ok, life and liberty probably aren’t at stake here, although you could make an argument that a really good watermelon is included in the pursuit of happiness – which, by the way, always looked hilariously misspelled to me when I was a kid and we paraded past a copy of the Declaration of Independence on our way to the school lunchroom. That fancy-shmancy 18th century “S” always made the word “pursuit” look like “purfuit.” It didn’t pay to dwell on it, though. One random “purfuit” running through your brain during lunch could make you laugh, and then you’d have milk shooting out of your nose right when Christine Reade was looking at you. Not good. Not good at all.

But back to choosing a good watermelon.

I get asked about this all the time. I don’t know why. I guess there’s something about me that says, “Here’s a man who knows his watermelons.” Probably because I look like I swallowed one.

I know three basic Watermelon Selection Protocols: The Thump, the Crack and the Spot Check.

My dad believed strongly in the Thump method. He would go through an entire bin of Charleston Grays, rapping them all with his knuckles until he found one that sounded just the right note – a slightly hollow B-flat. Which, coincidentally, was the same note sounded when he used the Thump Technique on my skull.

I have tried this method, but I have to thump my head first to get the right note, and after two or three tries I have a headache and don’t want watermelon anymore.

My brother uses the Crack method. You lean on the watermelon and if it makes a quiet cracking sound, it’s ready. You have to be careful about this one. A loud cracking sound means you leaned too hard and you’re buying that melon whether you want it or not.

This leaves the Spot Check method. You turn the melon over and look for the spot where it sat on the ground. If it’s white, don’t buy it. If it’s yellow, do. If there is no spot, put down the eggplant and get your eyes tested.

I’ve decided to go with the “What The Heck” method. You pull one out of the bin and say “What the heck, maybe it’ll be ripe.” By my reckoning, you have just as good a chance this way as you do with thumping, cracking and checking, and as a bonus, it turns a watermelon into a Christmas present. You never really know what’s inside until you open it. It might be a wonderful surprise, or it might be socks and underwear. You take your chances. And if you hit the jackpot, a good watermelon is well worth the purfuit.


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In pursuit of watermelon

0

I’ve gathered you here today to discuss an item of grave importance, something that has been on the minds of many during these troubled times; an issue so great that it may indeed have a direct bearing on life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness: How to pick a ripe watermelon.

Ok, life and liberty probably aren’t at stake here, although you could make an argument that a really good watermelon is included in the pursuit of happiness – which, by the way, always looked hilariously misspelled to me when I was a kid and we paraded past a copy of the Declaration of Independence on our way to the school lunchroom. That fancy-shmancy 18th century “S” always made the word “pursuit” look like “purfuit.” It didn’t pay to dwell on it, though. One random “purfuit” running through your brain during lunch could make you laugh, and then you’d have milk shooting out of your nose right when Christine Reade was looking at you. Not good. Not good at all.

But back to choosing a good watermelon.

I get asked about this all the time. I don’t know why. I guess there’s something about me that says, “Here’s a man who knows his watermelons.” Probably because I look like I swallowed one.

I know three basic Watermelon Selection Protocols: The Thump, the Crack and the Spot Check.

My dad believed strongly in the Thump method. He would go through an entire bin of Charleston Grays, rapping them all with his knuckles until he found one that sounded just the right note – a slightly hollow B-flat. Which, coincidentally, was the same note sounded when he used the Thump Technique on my skull.

I have tried this method, but I have to thump my head first to get the right note, and after two or three tries I have a headache and don’t want watermelon anymore.

My brother uses the Crack method. You lean on the watermelon and if it makes a quiet cracking sound, it’s ready. You have to be careful about this one. A loud cracking sound means you leaned too hard and you’re buying that melon whether you want it or not.

This leaves the Spot Check method. You turn the melon over and look for the spot where it sat on the ground. If it’s white, don’t buy it. If it’s yellow, do. If there is no spot, put down the eggplant and get your eyes tested.

I’ve decided to go with the “What The Heck” method. You pull one out of the bin and say “What the heck, maybe it’ll be ripe.” By my reckoning, you have just as good a chance this way as you do with thumping, cracking and checking, and as a bonus, it turns a watermelon into a Christmas present. You never really know what’s inside until you open it. It might be a wonderful surprise, or it might be socks and underwear. You take your chances. And if you hit the jackpot, a good watermelon is well worth the purfuit.


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Share.

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Stay CURRENT with our daily newsletter (M-F) and breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox for free!

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By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact