One of my students had brought some watermelon from home to share with me after class. We had some forks, and were munching away at the first of the season fruit when I went to pick out a seed. I put the seed back on the plate, and he said, “What are you doing?”
“Uh, picking out a watermelon seed. That’s what you do when you eat watermelon, right?”
“No, I eat the watermelon seeds. My father also eats watermelon seeds. Who wouldn’t?”
I was surprised. I grew up in rural Ohio. I know people who grow watermelon. I know people who sell watermelon. I know people who eat watermelon. I don’t know ANYONE who eats watermelon seeds.
“I never eat watermelon seeds. My family doesn’t either. I’ve even heard of watermelon seed spitting contents, but I never eat watermelon seeds.”
“Huh, people in America are weird. Just eat them.”
I got an idea. “Do you eat popcorn seeds?”
“What? Popcorn? Yes, I eat popcorn.”
“No, the seeds, you know, the seeds at the bottom when you get an unpopped piece. The kernal”
“No, I don’t eat that teacher! Who eats that?”
“I do. My father does. So do some of my friends. We like half-popped popcorn. It’s delicious.”
“What! We don’t eat that teacher! No one eats that! That’s so strange.”
Whatever, watermelon seed eating freak.
