An Ode to the Mighty, the Humble... Watermelon.

I named my blog The Humble Watermelon, so I figured I should make at least one post on this lovely fruit. So today, I shall discuss about watermelon's history, tell you some interesting facts about it, and share three of my favourite watermelon pictures!

Ready to go on this Grand Watermelon Adventure? Yeah? Okay then, let's go!

Watermelon's Fruitful History:
Watermelon is thought to have originated in southern Africa, where you can find it growing in its wild state. There is evidence that it had been cultured in the Nile Valley, around the second millennium BC (2000-1001 B.C.). By the 10th century, watermelon had started being culture in China, and by the 13th century, Moorish invaders had introduced this fruit to Europe. Watermelon then moved on to North America, where they were grown by Native Americans in the 16th century. Today, China is the biggest watermelon producer, growing more than 69 million tonnes of watermelon in 2011!

Food, and the different emotions it evokes in us

Food. An essential of life, an accompaniment of my journey. It is always there, something that I often time take for granted.


Food. Oh what a lovely, lovely word! I don't just eat it, I savore it. It is a delectable little taste of heaven. It is the light of my day, it is my passion!


Food. Possibly the most complicated relationship I have ever had. An ongoing battle between my good conscience and desires. It brings joy to me and my taste pallets, but not to my waist line. I gorge myself of it, yet always regret it.

Japanese Food and what it has Taught me

I have always loved Japanese food, but I had never actually gone to a real Japanese restaurant. Usually I just eat an occasional roll of suhi at the mall or a homemade "novice" one by my mom. That's the thing, when most of the people think of Japanese food, their brains automatically directs them to images of sushi and wasabi. And I won't deny it, that's what I thought too. So it was quite a nice experience yesterday, going to this humble, little Japanese restaurant. Of course, I had sushi, but there so much other stuff that I had, like miso soup (not my favorite, but I'm glad I gave it a try), tempura shrimp (so, so good), dried, baked, cooked fishes (amazingly delicious), and hehe, rice. There was also sushi with raw fish in it, something that I have avoided to try in fear of the rawness. But I tried it this time, and it was fantastic! Japanese food is just so exquisite and beautifully crafted. You can see that they put a lot of work in their food. Delicate, elegant, and absolutely flawless.

Ok, I'm hungry just looking at this delicious yumminess!

It's amazing how much one can discover when trying something new. Quite frankly, don't be afraid of trying something you are scared of! I know it sounds kind of tacky and cliche, but there's a reason it's cliche. I was scared of trying raw fish before, maybe because I was scared of raw meat or contacting some kind of disease. Yes, it's possible to contact a disease, that is, if it's not properly cleaned or if the fish is infected. But now I have full confidence in those sushi chefs, because they know what they're doing.

The world will just open around you when you discover something new or gain more knowledge, even if it's only from trying a new kind of food. Go out there, and have fun exploring the cultures around you! They're right at your fingertips, and the only thing seperating them from you is yourself!

Food Network Show: Chuck's Day Off

Food Network is like my comfort "food" (except sadly, I can't eat it...). And one of my favorite show from it is "Chuck's Day Off". When I'm looking for new a cooking show (or any kind of show) to watch, I'm looking for something that will attract my attention immediately. "Chuck's Day Off" succeeded in that. The show's cook, Chuck Hughes, is full of happy energy, and might I say, even a little swag. And his recipes are vibrant, deliciously looking, and all of them are relatively easy to make. Chuck makes cooking seem really fun and cool, and his food is always pretty top-notch. Every show is always unique and different, but never boring!