# Do you salt your watermelon? Why? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 29, 2004, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-watermelon-why/266618 "2004-09-29T04:22:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2004, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-watermelon-why/266618/41 "2004-09-29T23:50:55Z")
I’ve never encoutered a non-diabetic human being who didn’t put suger in tea. In fact, when I offer tea - or coffee - to someone, I ask “how much sugar?”; the thought that someone might not want any has never occured to me. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-watermelon-why/266618/42 "2004-09-30T00:02:45Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > I’ve never encoutered a non-diabetic human being who didn’t put suger in tea. In fact, when I offer tea - or coffee - to someone, I ask “how much sugar?”; the thought that someone might not want any has never occured to me. Unsweetened tea is just brown and water. Gag. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-watermelon-why/266618/43 "2004-09-30T00:47:55Z")
For sheer ecstasy, skip the salt and smear some vegemite on that watermelon! Yum!!! ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-watermelon-why/266618/44 "2004-09-30T00:58:23Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > Unsweetened tea is just brown and water. Gag. Brown and water? More like mud water. How anyone can drink it withou sugar and lemon (which is just as integral) is beyond me. Unless it’s chai, in which case, skip the lemon, obviously. Also, people that put peanuts in soda should be shot so that their genes cannot be carried on into the next generation. Even as a Southerner, I’ve never gotten the appeal of that. Bleargh. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-watermelon-why/266618/45 "2004-09-30T01:20:11Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > Unsweetened tea is just brown and water. Gag. To me tea with sugar is just brown sugar water. Bleh. I like to taste the subtle flavor of the tea so sugar, and that even worse blasphemy, cream, ruins it. Now peanuts in soda, that’s just plain wrongness. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-watermelon-why/266618/46 "2004-09-30T01:37:47Z")
I am very Southern and I don’t like anything but lemon in my tea and I will go without that if there isn’t anyone around. Sugar on tomatoes? GROSS! I love tomatoes but that is a salt only food. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-watermelon-why/266618/47 "2004-09-30T01:54:12Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Sugar on tomatoes? GROSS! I love tomatoes but that is a salt only food. I like to use lemon-pepper seasoning and then drown it in Italian dressing, but I’ve always been different. ---
**Author:** ![rostfrei](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7bcc69/32.png) [@rostfrei](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rostfrei)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-watermelon-why/266618/48 "2004-09-30T01:54:13Z")
I grew up in a family that salted watermelon. I never did. I thought it tasted nasty. The odd thing about my family is that they put pepper on cantaloupe. I thought it was just a family thing, but found out that pepper on cantaloupe is not as uncommon as previously thought. I’ve talked to many people who do that. ---
**Author:** ![moggyAU](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@moggyAU](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moggyAU)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-watermelon-why/266618/49 "2004-09-30T01:55:03Z")
I have never heard of this being done before but it sounds friggin wierd, kind of liek a shandy. Beer and lemonade??? ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-watermelon-why/266618/50 "2004-09-30T02:13:00Z")
The following fruits absolutely require salt before consumption: watermelon canteloupe lime lemon grapefruit For these fruits, salt is optional: apples oranges tangerines bananas peaches For these fruits, salting would never occur to me, but I wouldn’t make faces at you if you did or anything: strawberries blueberries grapes ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-watermelon-why/266618/51 "2004-09-30T10:48:03Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > I am very Southern and I don’t like anything but lemon in my tea and I will go without that if there isn’t anyone around. Sugar on tomatoes? GROSS! I love tomatoes but that is a salt only food. Lemon in tea? Blech. Why don’t you just drink lemonade? 😃 All tomatoes need is Merita bread, Duke’s mayonaisse, and some pepper. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-watermelon-why/266618/52 "2004-09-30T13:45:05Z")
> [@audiobottle](#): > > Salt on watermelons? I suppose next you’ll tell me you put salt instead of sugar on tomatoes. I’ve read some weird eating habits in here, but salt on watermelons… Hey, to each their own. Unless it’s salt on watermelons. That’s just wrong. Sugar on tomatoes?! Revolting. Salt on watermelon = yummy goodness. ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-watermelon-why/266618/53 "2004-09-30T15:06:37Z")
> [@Tentacle Monster](#): > > I don’t. Never really understood why people do. So those of you who do, please tell me why. Salt enhances the flavor/taste. And for anothe enhancement try some black pepper. ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-watermelon-why/266618/54 "2004-09-30T15:43:49Z")
> [@Ghanima](#): > > And the award for best dramatic performance by a Doper goes to… **swampbear**!!! I’d like to thank my producer, my director, my leading man, my beer supplier and all the little people who spur me on to bigger and better performances! MWAH! They like me! They **Really** like me! 😃 And I still think all you watermelon salters should be sent far far away from civilized society. The idea! ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-watermelon-why/266618/55 "2004-09-30T16:19:20Z")
> [@swampbear](#): > > Well, that just does it! All you watermelon salters! I can’t take it any more. I give up! The terrorists have won. The apocalypse is upon us. Civilization crumbles all around me. I will never ever hear of anything worse than salting watermelon. That’s it. It’s over. Bring on the locusts. Do you salt your locusts before eating them? ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-watermelon-why/266618/56 "2004-09-30T16:20:07Z")
> [@swampbear](#): > > And I still think all you watermelon salters should be sent far far away from civilized society. The idea! As the farmer said when he kissed his cow: **"Every man to his own taste."** ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-watermelon-why/266618/57 "2004-09-30T16:43:01Z")
> [@Sean Factotum](#): > > Do you salt your locusts before eating them? Is there no _sense of decency_ left in this world! Of course not! Everyone knows it’s A-1[sup]TM[/sup] or nothing on locusts. How much longer must I endure these barbarians! I don and rend sackcloth! I heap ashes upon my head! Hear my plea! Deliver me from the Philistines! First salt on watermelon, now salt on locusts! There is no **end** to the depravity! ---
**Author:** ![audiobottle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@audiobottle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audiobottle)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-watermelon-why/266618/58 "2004-09-30T18:17:27Z")
Sugar on tomatoes is really the only way to eat tomatoes. Otherwise they’re really not good for anything. Salt on tomatoes is the moral equivalent to knocking an ice cream cone out of a little boy’s hand and laughing when it lands on his shoes. But if your moral value system allows you such things, then by all means, salt your tomatoes. I’m not even going to get started on salt on other fruits as the very thought requires me to go through a hellish five day purification procedure that involves a lot of fire, a lot of lye, and a donkey. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-watermelon-why/266618/59 "2004-09-30T20:24:04Z")
I just tried to think of something, anything, that I put sugar on and came up blank. In, yes. I cook with it sometimes. Have even been known to stir a teaspoon into heavy cream before beating it to pour over strawberries. (And like all good folks of Southern dietary extraction I do of course put lots of it in my iced tea). On? &… Tomatoes are best when covered with a big scoop of cottage cheese or a couple strips of bacon. Salted and peppered. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-watermelon-why/266618/60 "2004-09-30T20:32:53Z")
I salt my watermelon. For the reasons already given. But if we’re gonna knock Foods from the South[Sup]TM[/Sup] then I have to nominate the horrendous “Banana and Mayonnaise Sandwich.” I love mayonnaise, and will sometimes eat things just for their mayonnaise content (tuna salad, etc.) but good grief this is horrendous. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-watermelon-why/266618.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-salt-your-watermelon-why/266618.md?page=4)