"Japan has again shown off one of its greatest innovations - square watermelons.
For years consumers struggled to fit the large round fruit in their refrigerators.
Watermelons
The round watermelon is unlikely to go out of favour
And then there was the problem of trying to cut the fruit when it kept rolling around.
But 20 years ago a forward-thinking farmer on Japan's south-western island of Shikoku solved the problem.
The farmer, from Zentsuji in Kagawa prefecture, came up with the idea of making a cube-shaped watermelon which could easily be packed and stored.
Fashion food
To make it happen, farmers grew the melons in glass boxes and the fruit then naturally assumed the same shape. Today the cuboid watermelons are hand-picked and shipped all over Japan.
But the fruit, on sale in a selection of department stores and upmarket supermarkets, appeals mainly to the wealthy and fashion-conscious of Tokyo and Osaka, Japan's two major cities.
Each melon sells for 10,000 yen, equivalent to about $83. It is almost double, or even triple, that of a normal watermelon.
"I can't buy it, it is too expensive," said a woman browsing at a department store in the southern city of Takamatsu. " --- frum da BBC
"Japan has again shown off one of its greatest innovations - square watermelons.
For years consumers struggled to fit the large round fruit in their refrigerators.
Watermelons
The round watermelon is unlikely to go out of favour
And then there was the problem of trying to cut the fruit when it kept rolling around.
But 20 years ago a forward-thinking farmer on Japan's south-western island of Shikoku solved the problem.
The farmer, from Zentsuji in Kagawa prefecture, came up with the idea of making a cube-shaped watermelon which could easily be packed and stored.
Fashion food
To make it happen, farmers grew the melons in glass boxes and the fruit then naturally assumed the same shape. Today the cuboid watermelons are hand-picked and shipped all over Japan.
But the fruit, on sale in a selection of department stores and upmarket supermarkets, appeals mainly to the wealthy and fashion-conscious of Tokyo and Osaka, Japan's two major cities.
Each melon sells for 10,000 yen, equivalent to about $83. It is almost double, or even triple, that of a normal watermelon.
"I can't buy it, it is too expensive," said a woman browsing at a department store in the southern city of Takamatsu. " --- frum da BBC
"Japan has again shown off one of its greatest innovations - square watermelons.
For years consumers struggled to fit the large round fruit in their refrigerators.
Watermelons
The round watermelon is unlikely to go out of favour
And then there was the problem of trying to cut the fruit when it kept rolling around.
But 20 years ago a forward-thinking farmer on Japan's south-western island of Shikoku solved the problem.
The farmer, from Zentsuji in Kagawa prefecture, came up with the idea of making a cube-shaped watermelon which could easily be packed and stored.
Fashion food
To make it happen, farmers grew the melons in glass boxes and the fruit then naturally assumed the same shape. Today the cuboid watermelons are hand-picked and shipped all over Japan.
But the fruit, on sale in a selection of department stores and upmarket supermarkets, appeals mainly to the wealthy and fashion-conscious of Tokyo and Osaka, Japan's two major cities.
Each melon sells for 10,000 yen, equivalent to about $83. It is almost double, or even triple, that of a normal watermelon.
"I can't buy it, it is too expensive," said a woman browsing at a department store in the southern city of Takamatsu. " --- frum da BBC
Watermelons here are a couple bucks. $83 is A LOT more than double or triple that. It's more than 10x that.
Watermelons must be rare in Japan
Actually regular watermelons used to cost a fortune there. Western con artists used to have an entire schtick where they'd buy a watermelon for a couple of bucks, find a Japanese tourist and bump into them "causing" them to drop the watermelon, which would break on the ground, and they'd act all angry and demand that the tourist refund them for destroying the "valuable" fruit, content in the knowledge that the tourist would be unaware that watermelons are dirt cheap here, and would pay them a large sum of money.
Actually regular watermelons used to cost a fortune there. Western con artists used to have an entire schtick where they'd buy a watermelon for a couple of bucks, find a Japanese tourist and bump into them "causing" them to drop the watermelon, which would break on the ground, and they'd act all angry and demand that the tourist refund them for destroying the "valuable" fruit, content in the knowledge that the tourist would be unaware that watermelons are dirt cheap here, and would pay them a large sum of money.
Blame it on Uncle John's Bathroom Reader. Those books tell me all sorts of almost entirely irrelevant facts that might possibly become relevant later.
To be more specific, it was an article on common con tactics. The watermelon con is a variation on a con where they'd have two guys with a closed cardboard box filled with broken glass, marked "fragile" and when they bump into some poor shmuck and drop the box, you hear the sound of glass shattering, and the broken glass pours out, and they claim that it was some priceless glass chandelier (or something similar) that broke when they dropped it, and demand the a refund.
83$ for a watermelon? o.o HA I can go down the street and buy a watermelon for 10$ cut it up without it rolling around and put it in my fridge... how you can not know how to cut a watermelon without it rolling around is beyond me :tongue.gif:
Still cool mellonz.. just wouldn't pay that price for them.. even if they were grown in glass xD
Square watermelons in Japan is really old news. Japanese food itself is always expensive but not break-the-wallet kind of expensive. The reason why these square melons are pricey is because it isn't easy growing them into a mold perfectly.
...but nothing can compare to heart-melons. :tongue.gif:
"Japan has again shown off one of its greatest innovations - square watermelons.
For years consumers struggled to fit the large round fruit in their refrigerators.
Watermelons
The round watermelon is unlikely to go out of favour
And then there was the problem of trying to cut the fruit when it kept rolling around.
But 20 years ago a forward-thinking farmer on Japan's south-western island of Shikoku solved the problem.
The farmer, from Zentsuji in Kagawa prefecture, came up with the idea of making a cube-shaped watermelon which could easily be packed and stored.
Fashion food
To make it happen, farmers grew the melons in glass boxes and the fruit then naturally assumed the same shape. Today the cuboid watermelons are hand-picked and shipped all over Japan.
But the fruit, on sale in a selection of department stores and upmarket supermarkets, appeals mainly to the wealthy and fashion-conscious of Tokyo and Osaka, Japan's two major cities.
Each melon sells for 10,000 yen, equivalent to about $83. It is almost double, or even triple, that of a normal watermelon.
"I can't buy it, it is too expensive," said a woman browsing at a department store in the southern city of Takamatsu. " --- frum da BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/1390088.stm
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Watermelons here are a couple bucks. $83 is A LOT more than double or triple that. It's more than 10x that.
Watermelons must be rare in Japan
They also invented steak feces. Eat up!
http://www.dbune.com/news/world/6733-japanese-scientists-turn-sewage-into-edible-qfeces-steakq.html
Actually regular watermelons used to cost a fortune there. Western con artists used to have an entire schtick where they'd buy a watermelon for a couple of bucks, find a Japanese tourist and bump into them "causing" them to drop the watermelon, which would break on the ground, and they'd act all angry and demand that the tourist refund them for destroying the "valuable" fruit, content in the knowledge that the tourist would be unaware that watermelons are dirt cheap here, and would pay them a large sum of money.
That con doesn't work anymore.
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You seem very knowledgable about this con...
Just sayin
Actually, the way the stem sticks out makes me think of candles.
Blame it on Uncle John's Bathroom Reader. Those books tell me all sorts of almost entirely irrelevant facts that might possibly become relevant later.
To be more specific, it was an article on common con tactics. The watermelon con is a variation on a con where they'd have two guys with a closed cardboard box filled with broken glass, marked "fragile" and when they bump into some poor shmuck and drop the box, you hear the sound of glass shattering, and the broken glass pours out, and they claim that it was some priceless glass chandelier (or something similar) that broke when they dropped it, and demand the a refund.
Also check me out on:
WordPress, Etsy, and Spore.
I'd imagine the block would break and drop a "squishy broken watermelon" item, and a random number of "watermelon innards" items all over the place.
Also check me out on:
WordPress, Etsy, and Spore.
They're not native to japan, and farming space for them is limited. So they're either imported fresh (expensive) or grown in japan (expensive).
Foreign food is expensive in japan.
Respond regardless.
It acts like TNT that doesn't damage anything, just sprays redstone everywhere.
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Curse Premiumoh damn, beat me to it!
Still cool mellonz.. just wouldn't pay that price for them.. even if they were grown in glass xD
...but nothing can compare to heart-melons. :tongue.gif: