Thursday, July 22, 2010

Summer in the city


The word summertime heralds various rosy images of the beach, bad sunburns, and most of all, WATERMELON. Come June - July, these gargantuan delights can be found just about everywhere in Miami. Sold alongside Bird Road, on front yards in Westchester, and of course at the local Publix, it is a cool treat I look forward to getting my hands on and scarfing down on the long scorching dog days.
As my mom sliced the pulpy saccharine goodness, she orated her childhood memories associated with watermelon. Mom's mom, Grandma, cooked classic southern food. (She is infamous for fried chicken she'd make for family beach day. ) When mom was a girl, she and the rest of her 7 other brothers and sisters enjoyed one of Grandma's traditional sides-- pickled watermelon rind.
Okay, I don't know about you but, when I heard this I cringed a little. Pickled watermelon rind? Um, I might pass. Why would anyone ever taint the perfection of a good 'ol watermelon slice?
Mom described it as a " golden rind" that was steeped in a clove-like brew.
"Sweet and crunchy...it was like complement to all the other salty food around you," she said.
Honestly, anything "pickled" kinda scares me, but the way she continued to glorified it-- I think I might just have to try it. I'll let you know how it goes.

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