By Veronica MacDonald Ditko
An Accidental Anthropologist
Okay, so it’s August now. Most children have had at least two months to practice a favorite summer pastime -watermelon seed spitting. Time for the real competitions to begin!
At my childhood residence, our competitions were nothing much to talk about. My brother always shot the farthest. But he spent a lot of time mastering bodily things that were only meant to impress (mostly his peers!). Basically it was just plain fun. How often do you get to spit things?
Lately I’ve noticed there isn’t just one kind of watermelon. Some are small and some are gargantuan. I recently bought one at a farmer’s market without looking at the sign, came home, cut it open, and it was yellow! That was pretty shocking.
Apparently that variety is called Yellow Crimson, which is thought to be sweeter and more honey-like than others. It did taste like watermelon, and it was sweet, but it lacked the crispness other watermelons have. It also freaked out my 3-year-old. But he did eat some.
Watermelons are thought to have come from western Africa originally. Then they spread to Asia, and China today is actually the largest worldwide producer. Even the rind is used in stir-fries, pickling, and stews. In Vietnam, watermelon seeds are eaten during New Year’s.
Watermelons also found their way to Europe, and consequently with North American settlers. But it is more popularly thought that African slaves introduced watermelons to America.
But back to seed-spitting. Real competitions exist for watermelon seed-spitting:
- The Redneck Games in Dublin, Georgia;
- The Shawnee County Fair in Topeka, Kansas;
- The Hermiston Watermelon Spitting Contest in Oregon (there’s still time to sign up for this one!);
- And most notably, The Watermelon Thump in Luling, Texas which is regarded as the premier worldwide competition every June.
The world record to beat is 68 feet and 9 1/8 inches. National Watermelon Day is actually August 3rd. That might be a good time to stage such a competition in your backyard.
Contest winners give some tips online, such as inhaling deeply before spitting (but don’t choke on the seed!) and arching backwards and thrusting forward as you blow out.
The biggest competition these days in my home is over whether watermelons are RED or PINK? I won’t tell you which one I think they are, but I’m losing based on family members and friends. I’d love to hear your votes on this topic…
Veronica MacDonald Ditko is originally from the Jersey Shore, but married and settled in northern New Jersey. Her journalism career started a decade ago after studying Psychology and Anthropology in Massachusetts. She has written for several newspapers and magazines including The Daily Hampshire Gazette, The Springfield Union News and Sunday Republican, Happi, Chemical Week, The Hawthorne Press, The Jewish Standard, Suite101.com and more.