People love celebrations. From birthdays, weddings, graduations, monthsaries, anniversaries, to getting your first job, first salary, or even your pet's birthday. There are also other celebrations like friendship day, siblings day, otaku day, etc. The list goes on but did you know there's also a special day to celebrate watermelons?
HAPPY WATERMELON DAY!
(image source: Pixabay)
Surprise! The juicy, luscious, refreshing, and all-time favorite summer food also has its special day! People around the world celebrate Watermelon Day on August 3rd. Some people hold events (like this one) while you can also do a simple celebration by eating watermelon, of course. What's the best way to celebrate than eating it, right? Drink watermelon juice, eat watermelon popsicles, or just simply eat it as it is. Aside from eating watermelon, others also do art and other crafts to show their appreciation for the watermelon. (I'll show you my watermelon arts at the end of this blog.)
IS WATERMELON A FRUIT OR VEGETABLE?
Oh, this is a fun question. Before reading further why not try answer the question. Is watermelon a fruit or a vegetable?
Ready?
(image source: Pixabay)
Watermelon is a vegetable because it is a member of the gourd family like squash, cucumber, pumpkin, or those that grow vines. Meanwhile, it is also considered a fruit due to its sweet and succulent inner flesh just like melons.
So to answer the question, watermelons can be either be a fruit or vegetable. It's up to you which would you believe in, just like between religion and science. (Lol.) In China, Russia, and Southern America, the rind is considered a vegetable. They stew, stir-fry, or make pickled watermelon rind. The pickled watermelon rind sounds intriguing, I wonder how does it taste. Maybe watermelons are certainly a fruit and vegetable because the inner flesh is eaten like how a fruit should be eaten while the rind is used like a vegetable.
For me, I consider it more of a fruit than a vegetable because it's sweet, tasty, and could be eaten without cooking. (To be fair, some vegetables could be eaten raw too.) Try going to the supermarket and find where the watermelons are displayed. Where? At the fruits corner! So even though it is also a vegetable, I guess majority of us consider it as a fruit.
WATERMELON TRIVIA!
● THE OFFICIAL VEGETABLE OF OKLAHOMA
Watermelon was declared as Oklahoma's official vegetable in 2007. When most of us believe that it is a fruit, people in Oklahoma considered it as a vegetable. There has been a debate whether it is a vegetable or a fruit, but in the end it won to be categorized as a vegetable. A town in Oklahoma called Rush Springs produces delicious watermelons. I assume watermelon party is frequent in Oklahoma.
● IT'S MOSTLY WATER
(image source: Pixabay)
The watermelon didn't have its name for no reason! Watermelon is 92% water which is good for hydration especially during the warm weather of summer. It's a great food to deter dehydration and keeps our body refreshed and hydrated.
● HAS MORE LYCOPENE THAN TOMATO
Surprise! This may sound new but watermelons contains more lycopene than tomatoes. According to studies, watermelon has 40% more lycopene than tomatoes. They should sell more watermelon juice than tomato juice then! Since it is rich in lycopene, watermelons can also prevent and reduce certain kinds of cancer like lungs, prostate, and stomach. Eating watermelon can also relieve sore muscles. It is also rich in vitamin A and C, fiber and potassium.
● SEEDS ARE EDIBLE
(image source: Pixabay)
Aside from the rind, watermelon seeds are also edible. It is rich in zinc, magnesium, and protein. We usually don't eat it and admit it, it takes awhile to remove all the seeds embedded on the watermelon's flesh. However, they say it is safe to eat its seed and you won't grow watermelon in your stomach if you eat it. There are two ways to eat the seed. You can dry it first before eating, like the seed of a squash, or you can chew it fresh along with the flesh. I remember drinking watermelon shakes before with grounded watermelon seeds in it. It tastes fine but I'd rather eat it separate. I like my watermelon shake smooth.
● THERE ARE YELLOW WATERMELONS
The red and pinkish in color watermelon is probably the most common we see and eat. However, there are other colors of watermelon's flesh too like yellow, orange, and even white. Actually, there are 1,200 varieties of watermelon around the world. (Wow! And I've probably just had eaten two varieties of watermelon!) Watermelon is believed to have originated in South Africa or Egypt.
● DETOXIFIES YOUR BODY
Since watermelon is 92% water, does not contain fat and cholesterol, this makes this fruit a good food for detoxifying. Here's a video for a more explanation.
(video source: Revitalize Healing via Youtube)
Here are other recipes to enjoy watermelon more! In Egypt, they eat watermelon with feta cheese. That seems interesting and delicious!
● THERE ARE SQUARE WATERMELONS
(image source: Wikipedia)
Guess where the square watermelons can be found? In Japan, of course! As always, Japan tends to go out of the norm and go extra with almost everything. Farmers at Zentsuji, a city in Kagawa Prefecture, uses a special box mold where the watermelon grows to take the shape of the box. They made it square in shape so watermelons are easier to stack and easier to fit in the fridge. Meanwhile, the square watermelon is also used for the gift-giving tradition of the Japanese. Luxury fruits such as this, is used for the gift-giving tradition to express appreciation and status of the giver. A square watermelon would start from $100, and you might ask, "is this edible?" Well, of course, it is. But would you eat a $100 watermelon? In addition, the square watermelon is harvested while it's still unripe, so this watermelons are only meant for display. Watch the video below for more information about the square watermelon.
(video source: ONLY in JAPAN via Youtube)
Did you know, square isn't only the shape Japan makes with watermelons? There's a triangle, heart, and even face-shaped too. There are probably more other shapes, you know in Japan, the universe is the limit!
(image source: soranews24)
(Additional trivia: Did you know, that watermelon is also used on a Japanese summer game? The game is called "suikawari" (スイカ割り) or "watermelon splitting" wherein the watermelon is placed on the ground and has to be smashed with a stick while the player is blindfolded. The game is similar to a piñata. "Suika" (スイカ) means watermelon while "wari" (割り) means split.)
MY WATERMELON ART
Aside from eating watermelon during Watermelon Day, there are other ways to celebrate the day, one of which is making watermelon art. The art community makes use of their creativity to make day even more special. I've been celebrating Watermelon Day through art for only 2 years. I still have other watermelon art in my mind but I'll save that for the next Watermelon Day celebrations. Meanwhile, here are my watermelon arts!
First is this lady wearing a watermelon dress while holding a watermelon! The dress was inspired by my favorite Japanese female singer, LiSA. She wore a watermelon outfit when she went to Singapore for her Asia Tour last 2015. Here's the video on how I made this drawing.
(image source: Katsanslimites)
Next is a cute little or chibi girl who is about to devour a slice of watermelon on a picnic. I made this art only this month. Notice that her socks are also watermelon-inspired.(My digital drawings were drawn using Wacom Intuos Comic.)
(image source: Katsanslimites)
Last is a watermelon slice drawn using oil pastels. This is my first time to use oil pastels and I rarely do traditional art so this watermelon art is special for me.
(image source: Katsanslimites)
WATERMELON IS LOVE!
(image source: Pixabay)
Whether it may be a fruit or a vegetable, or no matter what the shape is, watermelon is a great food everyone should eat. It looks cute, tastes great, and gives amazing effects and nutrients to our body. Watermelon certainly deserves to be celebrated across the globe! Will you celebrate Watermelon Day next time?
Thanks for reading!
✧ Katsanslimites
