One of the best things about living in the South in the summer is the produce. Produce stands litter the landscape, offering up fresh summer tomatoes, peaches, corn, and a wealth of other bounty.
I love all kind of summer fruit, but for my mom, summer means one thing: WATERMELON. She’d eat it for every meal if she could get away with it. It’s almost a running joke, with every grocery list ending with “watermelon!”
For me, watermelon is as much about memory as taste. For as long as I can remember, my extended family has had a Fourth of July cookout, with the men spending the day guarding the grill, the women setting things up in the kitchen, and the kids staying cool in the pool. (Yes, traditional gender roles abound in the South. What a shocker!) And what else stayed cool in the pool? The watermelon! The kids would play around with it for most of the day in the water, and once the meal was over, it would be perfectly chilled to slice and eat for dessert.
Of course, there’s only one proper way to eat a watermelon like that: cut into slices, add a dash of salt if you like, and stick your face right in! Seed-spitting contests optional but encouraged. š
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