Watermelon Juice

One of the nice things about living in Japan is that I get to travel to other foreign countries sometimes. Recently I was sent on assignment to a regional city in Taiwan -- my first visit to the tiny island nation. After our work wrapped up, my guide insisted that I sample the local watermelon juice. What a great idea.

First a little background information. I like the idea of watermelon a lot. Encased in its thick, greenish rind, the ripe, red flesh dotted with black seeds is lovely looking. But let's face it ... when it comes to taste, American watermelon is, well, watery. Japanese melons are certainly an improvement, both in terms of flavor and appearance. If you open our fridge during the stifling summer months you will probably find a dish of the succulent fruit, neatly cut up and ready for immediate consumption by Eve, me or Pippi. Last summer, I saw Japan's legendary square watermelons on sale in Shibuya. A real curiosity. At 150 bucks a pop I wasn't about to bring one home. A photo sure would have been nice but that was BB (Before Blog).

Streamlined shape aside, I doubt that Japan's cubic fruit could have competed with the taste treat the Taiwanese juice bar had in store for me. I could have quenched my thirst with any number of fruit or vegetable concoctions -- my guide opted for mango juice with milk. Dubious. I decided to play it safe and go for what I thought was a known quantity. I still watched with a little trepidation as the proprietor scooped chunks of melon into a plastic cup, followed by ice cubes and a heaping tablespoon of sugar. Nothing unfriendly, though I would have nixed the sugar had I known it was coming. After a quick spin in the blender, the bright pink puree was passed over to me. It was unexpectedly delicious! Icy and refreshing, the thick drink had the intense flavor of a Jolly Rancher candy, watermelon rendition. A smoothie of sorts, it tasted more like watermelon than watermelon itself!