Watermelon Liberation

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In hopes of discovering that the oversight was a mistake, I called the press office at the White House for an official statement on Citrullus vulgaris. Does the president like watermelon? Will he admit it?

"I'll get back to you," said the first person I reached. She never did. "Look it up in Official Presidential Documents," said the second. I never did. Instead, I tried to pass a message to Mr. Bush through one of his jogging pals. No luck. I began to wonder whether stonewalling had returned to the White House. Are the shadows of Watergate lengthening again? Dare I name it Watermelongate?

Giving the president the benefit of the doubt, I next called Julian Bond, longtime civil rights advocate, to ask whether the president's silence was part of a subtle Republican strategy to attract African-American votes.

"No," said Bond, "most of us are no longer very sensitive about watermelon stereotypes. I don't like the taste of watermelon myself, and many of my friends never think about it at all. In my experience, white liberals show far more nervousness in the presence of watermelon than do their black friends."

Fortunately, the stonewalling at the White House has not yet spread throughout the rest of the government. At the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the watermelon specialists were as happy as Maytag repairmen to receive my calls. More responsive than I would have thought, or even wished, they quickly filled my post office box with folklore and facts on watermelons.

The origin of the species is obscure. Much evidence points to Africa, where it has been cultivated for 4,000 years. Having arrived, probably via Arab hands, in the Mediterranean regions of Europe early in the Christian era, watermelons were brought to the Western Hemisphere by both African slaves and European colonists. The first written record of the fruit's cultivation on the western side of the Atlantic was in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1629.

Some varieties, however, may have been indigenous to the New World. The early French explorers reportedly found Native Americans growing watermelons in the Mississippi Valley. Whatever its origins, the colonial watermelon was small by present standards, averaging on the low end of today's five to 50 pound range. (The world record is now a robust 260 pounds.)

Modern concerns about health may accelerate the return of the watermelon. Most Americans, I would wager, see little value in watermelons: harmless consumption, perhaps, but essentially an empty exercise with brightly colored water.

Hints and how-tos: growing, harvesting and serving

IN THE UNITED STATES, we associate watermelon with Southern culture and climate. Actually, some new varieties prefer cooler climes and shorter seasons. Even in the South, watermelons often do better in less humid regions and reach prime sweetness when deprived of water for two weeks before picking.

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