Square Watermelons!

cupcakechef

cupcakechef

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Japan (expat by way of Australia and USA)
One of the wackiest things I saw in a supermarket when I first moved to Japan was a square watermelon. Literally, they are just like the picture below.

I have no idea how they're engineered that way, but people buy them as fancy gifts to give to people. Instead of a bottle of wine, your dinner guests might bring you a square watermelon. True story!

urban-fare-square-watermelon2.jpg
 
Possibly the same way a tomato is grown. In a pre-shaped container.
 
We were in the grocery this morning and I bought an oblong watermelon. It is the yellow type with plenty of seeds but the flesh is very sweet and not so juicy. I had seen that square watermelon in pictures and from what I know, there is a pattern that they place beside the watermelon when the fruit is still small. The growing watermelon will mimic the shape of the square box. What I am amused is the seedless watermelon that we have here. It really has no seeds so eating is very easy.
 
It's not really edible from what I read but it's a great decorative gift for sure. We Asians assign certain shapes with meaning that's why spherical, square-like and triangular shaped foods and items hold varied superstitions. Wearing red on a celebratory day is also one while praying before and after meals and offering gifts to ancestors is another example.
 
This is so interesting. It really peaked my curiosity. So I did a little Google search. I've never seen then where I live in Canada and I have discovered they are imported from Japan. A store in Vancouver brought in some these square watermelons from Japan and they sold for around $200 each. I cannot imagine paying so much for some decorative fruit. Apparently they cut one open and it was yellow inside, indicating it wasn't quite ripe yet and it tasted horrible. I guess it was created for its looks and not for taste. Here is the link to the newstory. http://bc.ctvnews.ca/200-square-watermelons-are-selling-despite-the-price-tag-1.1915180
 
The quality will be effected by restricting the growth of any fruit or veg so why bother ?
 
purplepen88 said:
This is so interesting. It really peaked my curiosity. So I did a little Google search. I've never seen then where I live in Canada and I have discovered they are imported from Japan. A store in Vancouver brought in some these square watermelons from Japan and they sold for around $200 each. I cannot imagine paying so much for some decorative fruit. Apparently they cut one open and it was yellow inside, indicating it wasn't quite ripe yet and it tasted horrible. I guess it was created for its looks and not for taste. Here is the link to the newstory. http://bc.ctvnews.ca/200-square-watermelons-are-selling-despite-the-price-tag-1.1915180
Click to expand...

That's a neat article! They're close to around $100 here but crazy that they're selling in Canada for basically double that. I guess because they're imported...but jeez! If I had $200 to spend on a fancy watermelon I think I would have to be raking in millions!
 
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