Watermelon – 西瓜 -xī guā

Watermelon or 西瓜 is a summertime favorite at my house. Growing up, we didn’t have refigerators until about 1979. To  make the watermelons cool, they were wrapped in ropes and dropped in a well until ready for consumption. Watermelons in Shanghai back in those days were also a lot smaller than the ones we see in the US, so it’s not uncommon to have more than one at a time. At the same time, since refigeration is not available, everything has to be consummed right away in order to avoid spoilage. So my mom would cut the watermelon into little triagles, and we would all sit around the table and enjoy the refreshing taste of this delicious fruit.