To the editor:
It is now the early part of the summer and already the temperature is getting into the high 20s and low 30s. These are in Celsius degrees. In Fahrenheit terms that is between 75 and 90 degrees. It is simpler to say it is hot.
I am fairly lucky in that when I start my day the temperature is a cool 70 or so and by the time I finish my work the heat of the day is only beginning to be oppressive. With the warm temperatures come the street vendors of all sorts of materials that are designed to part a person from his money.
There are sellers of cold drinks, usually the ice has long melted; Umbrellas, the Chinese favor very light skin. When I look out my classroom at the change of class I can see nothing but a river of umbrellas flowing between the classroom buildings. And of course there are all manner of gew-gaws, trinkets, and jewelry for sale. For the bicyclist this passes for road hazards. I am getting better about not running over someone’s street shop while trying to avoid the large, fat man on a stroll.
The early fruits are now coming to market. Because the concept of long-term storage, refrigeration, and climate control are still new to the country, most people still by their food on a daily basis. If they do buy frozen goods there is a tendency to consume them as quickly as possible. The Chinese are learning to love the cold foods during the summer time. Ice cream is popular here and I can get just about any type or style of Ice Cream product I could want. There is a green tea version that is really tasty. I know green ice cream is rare back home but boy does it look scrumptious!
But the finest food one can eat on a blistering hot day is watermelon. So much of watermelon is water that it is one sure way of staying hydrated. And the Chinese have several varieties available. There is the typical red variety that is known up home. Then there is a lighter pinkish type that I suspect is just a younger form of the deep red. And the most tantalizing of all, the yellow watermelon. That’s right, it is in the traditional green skin but a brilliant yellow where it should be red. The flavor is intense.
We see the pictures, a big slice of watermelon and the kid wearing most of the fruit sporting an ear to ear grin. Preparing melon back home to eat, we slice it into thin slices that are circles cut from the fruit. here it is a little different. Watermelon is served on a stick. A slice of watermelon becomes a watermelon popsicle! No hands required aside from one to hold the stick.
The melon seller takes a watermelon and slices it into wedges. Here the Chinese favor a melon that is about the size of a basketball or a little smaller. The melon is cut in half and then further reduced until there are about ten wedges. Depending on how fancy the seller wants to be he may or may not leave the rind on.
Whatever the case, he then spears the meat with a thin round stick, a little large than a meat skewer and voila, you have a watermelon popsicle!
In doing this myself, I place the wedges in the fridge for about an hour and really have something cool. They taste even better after they have spent perhaps a few hours in the chill of the fridge. I am surprised that this has not become a Fair food as yet. Certainly when I pay 1 rmb for a slice and 3 rmb for a whole melon someone is making money off me. One important thing, do not eat and bike at the same time.
Orpheus Allison,
professor of English
Shanghai Normal University
orpheusallison@mac.com
