Watermelon So Good You'll Spit Doodlewash and watercolor of watermelon with seeds and slice out of it
By Charlie

Watermelon: So Good You’ll Spit

Written by Charlie O'Shields

My memories of watermelon are a mixture of joy and feeling appalled. Though I adore the flavor and the texture, I can’t help but remember the kind filled with an enormous amount of seeds that would show up at the family picnics of my youth. A group of people eating watermelons filled with seeds quickly turns gross. Seeds sliding down facing with what resembles brain matter and then the inevitable spitting begins. Even though we were outside, it still seemed uncouth and nasty, so I would rarely try a watermelon back then and opted out of the spitting sport. Though apparently in 1995, Jason Schayot set the world record for spitting a watermelon seed when he blew it out of his mouth for an astonishing 75 feet, 2 inches, which is almost a quarter of a football field.

Today, with the growing popularity of seedless watermelons, they’ve finally transformed into a food I can actually eat. But I’m still a bit sad that one day, the black seeded watermelon will be only something in tales of yesteryear. Seedless watermelons, though much easier to eat, are the food equivalent of a mule. Though not genetically modified, they are created with sterile hybrids formed by crossing genetically incompatible parents. So one thing can be said for these seeded watermelons, for all their inconvenience, they at least had a much happier home life. The little white things in the seedless variety are pips that would have been seeds had it have the good fortune of being a normal watermelon.

That seems to be a running theme with food from the past. While the newer versions seem much more practical, part of me yearns for what used to be. Granted, sometimes we’ve learned that the food we ate was pure poison, but in other cases it became simply too inconvenient for our fast-paced lifestyles. Thus is the case of the lowly seeded watermelon. And unfortunately, I can’t complain. It’s been improved in a way that finally allows me to enjoy it. All without the spitting contests. Which is just fine, as I’ve never been terribly good at sports.

You’re all invited to a Doodlewash Dinner Party during the month of May! Just tag your food or drink image #doodlewashdinner and I’ll feature you and your culinary creations in a delicious Doodlewash Gallery at the end of the month! 

About the Doodlewash

M. Graham watercolors: Pyrrol Red, Azo Orange, Ultramarine Blue, Permanent Green Pale, and Neutral Tint. Lamy Safari Al Star pen with Platinum Carbon black ink in a 5″ x 8″ 140 lb. (300 gsm) Pentalic Aqua Journal

Charlie O'Shields

Creator of Doodlewash, founder of World Watercolor Month (July), World Watercolor Group, and host of the Sketching Stuff Podcast. Sharing watercolor illustrations and stories while proudly featuring talented artists from all over the world!

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50 thoughts on “Watermelon: So Good You’ll Spit”

  1. Your watermelon is BEAUTIFUL Charlie – and I hear ya – memories of seed spitting, but joys of seedless sweetness! I love watermelon in the summer. PS I’m heading out on vacation, but hope to be checking in. If you don’t hear from, you’ll know why. I’ll be sunning somewhere fun 🙂 xo Hugs from Mars for now.

    Reply

    1. Thanks so much Jodi!! 😃💕Glad ya liked this one…these food sketches are making me hungry all the time. Yay to vacation!! That’s awesome!! Take me with you!! Hehe…I could use some fun in the sun!! 😉😃Hope you have a fabulous time my friend!!

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  3. bright bold and full of Summer fun!
    Charlie, I love this beautiful dappling of patterns with the red and green combination!
    spitting just sounds nasty, though.
    eat the seeds, yes just Do It !! – full of zinc, magnesium, potassium
    eat closer to the rind the paler flesh for citrulline, it lowers high blood pressure. …. Dr deb LOL 🙂

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  4. I think I must have missed out on the spitting contests of my youth! I feel cheated! great…..:) all kidding aside, I really like your watermelon, looks tasty and I enjoyed reading about your experiences with watermelon and your spiteful memories.

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  5. ….love your stories as well as the delightful little painting! Now had you been a preacher’s child, you would have been told you had to eat it with a fork and carefully set the seeds to the side of the plate. Huck Finn would have been out the door and onto the river at that instruction. So to make up for all that decorum, we now grow the variety Sugar Baby in the backyard (dark forest green skin, spherical shape, very very red and yes, seeds). But now I’ve learned how to cut the seeds out, even if I do sacrifice flesh as a result. But…..maybe I’m alone in this–I have to salt mine. This painting would look divine on a kitchen wall.

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    1. Awww thanks Lance!! 😃I’m thrilled you liked this! Guess I am making a little kitchen art collection with these! Hehe Wow…that sounds very prim and proper… Huck would definitely be out that door!! Lol So jealous you have them in your garden. That would be wonderful. I’ve never tried them with salt. Though I have other melons. Bet it’s good!!

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  8. I would love a slice of that watermelon Charlie! Never a fan before the seedless. Not even our kids would eat it. No amount of cajoling would convince us to spit. Lol cantaloupe, honeydew Yay!

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  9. What better way to follow tacos? Luscious watermelon – particularly the pattern of the rind, beautifully done. You’re on a roll and a half at the moment!

    And what an inspiration that Jason Schayot is – I mean, what a record to hold. He’s up there with the chap who had the ferret down his pants for the longest.

    Reply

    1. Thanks Jacob! 😃 thrilled you like it! I felt like I was on your “wheel” again with this one. Had to doodlewash and write the post in less than 30 minutes. Yikes! 😊 And yeah…Jason and ferret down the pants guy totally need to get together. I’m sure they’d get along famously!!

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  11. Watermelons bring back the memories of warm summer evenings after the barbecue. My brothers and I would be eating our juicy watermelons slices and spitting seeds at each other. My mother would always wait until she could by the watermelon for 3 cents a pound. Thanks for the memories and the beautiful doodlewash Charlie.

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  12. I love your doodlewash, Charlie! ❤️ It brings back great memories of my mom trying to get us all to have a big slice after a big dinner. I never liked the seeded kind – too much work! Lol! 😝 But I do like the smaller seedless ones! And they make a great margarita! 🍹👍🍉

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  13. 75 foot 2 inches!! That’s it I am buying a melon and going to start practicing, watch this space guiness book of records, it’s about to get broken, lol…….good greif that is some distance for a light weight little pip, he must have been like a human machine gun? I love melon, and prefer opting for the pre prepared, just so the pips have gone, how lazy of me😉

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    1. Haha!! Challenge made!! But if you do try to beat that spit record, then you MUST take videos! You can do it, Rebecca!! Lol😃💕 I’m the exact same way with watermelon…it’s surprising how lazy we can get with a food that you barely have to chew! Hehe

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    1. I have no idea what will come out when I start typing. Usually just pleased if the words make it in general the right order and make some sort of coherent sense! 😊lol Thanks Sharon!! 😃💕 And yay to watermelon …glad I could tempt you!! Hehe

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  17. There was always the rumor that if you swallowed the seeds they would grow watermelons in your stomach…luckily, none of the ones I swallowed ever sprouted! I too like salt on mine. Well I like salt on everything. Bring on the summer! Thanks for the preview Charlie. (K)

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  18. Yup. You really do just keep getting better and better, Charlie. I’m getting ready to eat breakfast, so it’s all good you’ve made me hungry! Painting every day is truly a wondrous thing. There’s amazing growth in it. I may try and keep it up! I used to draw every day and now paint! This is so beautiful that you inspire me to keep those paints OUT of the closet. Thank you, my friend. 💜

    Reply

    1. Yes, it’s definitely time your paints came out of the closet for good! I support that on several levels! Lol 😉 Thanks so much Laura! 💕😃 Your support really cheers me on. It’s so tough to paint every day. Today I only had 35 minutes from start to finish, including writing the post! I felt like the Tasmanian Devil from Looney Tunes. Hehe 😊 But I was determined to make something happen!! And it’s always so fun!! Can’t think of anything else I’d rather do with those little minutes. I say…always use ’em to paint!! 😃🎨

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