The quest for the perfect watermelon is a summer tradition, synonymous with the pursuit of the sweetest, juiciest fruit to grace picnics and gatherings. This guide distills the essence of selecting a watermelon that promises to be both ripe and sweet, ensuring your summer days are filled with the refreshing taste of this beloved fruit.
Understanding Watermelon Ripeness
The journey to finding the perfect watermelon begins with an examination of the stem. A brown stem signifies a watermelon that ripened naturally on the vine, absorbing the sun’s warmth and the soil’s nutrients until it reached peak maturity. In contrast, a green stem indicates a premature pick, where the fruit was plucked before its time, leaving its potential sweetness untapped.
The Significance of the Yellow Spot
A key indicator of a watermelon’s ripeness is the presence of a yellow spot. This spot, often found on the belly of the fruit, tells a story of the watermelon’s time basking in the sun. A pronounced yellow spot is a testament to the watermelon’s adequate sun exposure, contributing to its ripeness. A faint white spot, or the absence of one, suggests a lack of sunbathing, leading to a less ripe fruit.
Assessing Firmness and Sound
The texture and sound of a watermelon provide critical clues to its internal state. Gently pressing on the watermelon should reveal a slight give, indicating ripeness. A watermelon that feels too hard and unyielding suggests it is underripe. Moreover, the sound a watermelon makes when tapped can reveal its water content—a hollow sound signifies a fruit bursting with water, while a dull sound may indicate a lack of juiciness.
Putting Theory into Practice
With these insights, the pursuit of the perfect watermelon becomes an informed search for specific traits: a brown stem, a prominent yellow spot, a slight give upon pressing, and a hollow sound when tapped. These indicators, when present together, promise a watermelon that is not only ripe but also abundantly sweet and juicy.
Upon bringing your selected watermelon home, the moment of truth arrives as you cut into the fruit. A ripe watermelon will reveal a deep red flesh, an indicator of its concentrated sweetness. The texture will be crisp, yet tender, filled with succulent juices that confirm its ripe status. The taste test is the final verification, where the sweetness of the watermelon fulfills the promise of a meticulously selected fruit.
Enjoying the Fruits of Your Labor
Selecting the perfect watermelon is an art form that combines observation, touch, and sound. The reward for this careful selection process is a watermelon that enhances summer meals and gatherings with its optimal sweetness and hydration. Whether enjoyed in slices, cubes, or as part of a refreshing salad, the perfect watermelon stands as a testament to the joy of summer eating.
The journey to finding the perfect watermelon is marked by attention to detail and an appreciation for the subtle cues nature provides. By following these guidelines, you can elevate your watermelon selection process, ensuring that each fruit you bring home meets the criteria for ripeness and sweetness. Embrace the challenge, and let the quest for the perfect watermelon become a cherished summer ritual.
Sarah Jessica Parker forced to defend herself, public attacks naturally aging beauty and casual style
Carrie Bradshaw once said, “I will literally be the old woman who lived in her shoes.” But Sarah Jessica parker, the woman behind the sassy fashionista in the hit TV show Sex and the City, isn’t Jimmy Choo-obsessed, nor does she have a wardrobe filled with playful tutus and strappy slip dresses.Still, the confident 58-year-old actor is fielding hateful comments from the online population who can’t understand why her real-life persona is contrary to the modish character she plays.
Parker, who’s proudly aging naturally, gracefully and beautifully, answers back saying it’s, “just not a reality,” and “there’s no time to let vanity enter.” Keep reading to learn what the lovely Sarah Jessica Parker has to say about aging!
In her role as the beloved Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City, Sarah Jessica Parker served some iconic, oftentimes controversial, looks.
While her character was considered a trendsetter by women across the globe, Parker in real life, has never been an urban chic fashionista.
“It’s not the way I perceive myself, I’m so low on my priority list,” said Parker, who raised three children while she was at the height of her career. “I love beautiful clothes and am privileged enough to have access to a lot them…but they also are returned the next day. They are not mine.”
Keep reading to learn more…
In real life, the star admits that she prefers a practical style, which isn’t always popular with the demanding public.
Unsexiest woman alive
In fact, in 2008, she was named in a Maxim poll as the “Unsexiest Woman Alive.”
Shortly after she earned the unflattering title, Parker spoke with Grazia (through Daily Mail) and said, “Do I have big fake boobs, Botox and big lips? No. Do I fit some ideals and standards of some men writing in a men’s magazine? Maybe not.” The star of And Just Like That continues, “Am I really the unsexiest woman in the world? Wow! It’s kind of shocking when men…It’s so brutal in a way…”
Years later, the Family Stone star appeared at the Met Gala wearing a golden Dolce & Gabbana gown that she paired with an ornate nativity headpiece.
Though she was serving an incredibly unique and smashing look, the public only commented on her aging.
“Aye real quick, how old is Sarah Jessica Parker because [her] skin look like tree bark and I’m confused,” said one. A second writes, “Is that Sarah Jessica Parker? Oh gosh she looks so old and worn out.”
Then, in 2021, the Hocus Pocus star was lunching with Bravo star Andy Cohen. Parker was makeup free, her silvery hair tied back in a braided ponytail.
It didn’t take long for the online population to start spitting hate over her appearance. But, Cohen, who also has a head of grey hair, defended his friend.
“We were at lunch and there was a paparazzi, and she’s sitting next to me, white hair,” said Cohen, 55, of his own white hair. Speaking on The Drew Barrymore Show, he continued, “All the articles were ‘Sarah Jessica Parker, she’s going gray’ and ‘She looks old,’ and it was insanity.
Here she is sitting next to me, who’s gray, and people just missed the mark totally. It was so misogynistic.”
Following that, Parker spoke with Vogue and had a lot to say about unforgiving people and their unrealistic standards of beauty.
“There’s so much misogynist chatter… I’m sitting with Andy Cohen, and he has a full head of gray hair, and he’s exquisite. Why is it okay for him?” Parker continues, “‘She has too many wrinkles, she doesn’t have enough wrinkles.’ It almost feels as if people don’t want us to be perfectly okay with where we are, as if they almost enjoy us being pained by who we are today, whether we choose to age naturally and not look perfect, or whether you do something if that makes you feel better.
She adds, “I know what I look like. I have no choice. What am I going to do about it? Stop aging? Disappear?”
Influential woman
The title of “unsexist woman alive” was upstaged in 2022 when the Golden Globe winning actor was named by Time as one of its “100 most influential people in the world.”
Though she may not dress the part of Carrie, who’s the star of the TV series, two films and the reboot And Just Like That, Parker does own her own designer brand, SJP, which – not surprisingly – started as shoes.
The star of Honeymoon in Vegas is also a TV producer, the co-founder of the spirit “The Perfect Cosmo by SJP” (Carrie’s favorite drink), is involved with publishing, fragrances and has a wine label – to name a few.
And just like that
Also unlike Carrie and her hapless search for romance, the star of Footloose found love in the early 1990s with Matthew Broderick, the star of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
The adorable couple – who starred on Broadway together – married on May 19, 1997, and have been together ever since.
When Broderick was asked to reveal his secret for a successful marriage, he answered: “I don’t know the secret at all, but I, you know, I’m very grateful and I love her. It’s amazing. I mean, I can’t believe that it’s been that long. It doesn’t feel like it.”
The couple share three kids, son James Wilkie (born 2002), along with twins Tabitha Hodge and Marion Loretta Elwell, who joined the family in 2009, via surrogate.
The woman leads a busy life and should be applauded for her accomplishments, not criticized.
Speaking natural in real life, the actor said, “It’s not how I think of myself, and I think it’s probably the healthier approach.”
She continues, “It’s just not a reality – not when you have three kids, and you go to the market, and there are hungry people at home. You have a limited time to do it. There’s just no time to let vanity enter into that.”
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