# In Japan, watermelons are veggies! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 16, 2008, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-japan-watermelons-are-veggies/477383 "2008-12-16T12:25:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![seodoa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@seodoa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seodoa)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-japan-watermelons-are-veggies/477383/1 "2008-12-16T12:25:08Z")
Seriously. In all the time I’ve spent here, this is new to me. Today we were doing some practice mock debates in one of my more advanced English classes and, two teams decided they would argue fruits vs vegetables. During the course of the debate, one student from the vegetable team said, “Yes, fruits are delicious, but so are watermelons!” Which immediately made me go 😕. When I asked her if she really meant “watermelon,” she replied, “Of course. Watermelon is my favorite vegetable.” I then explained to the class that watermelon is classified as a fruit. :eek: I swear it would’ve been the same reaction had I said I was from Mars. Everybody fervently disagreed, saying that watermelon is a melon, and all melons are clearly vegetables. I seriously thought they were putting me on, but, sure enough, I get home and I look it up. In Japan, [melons](http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q145514894) are [fruits](http://www.maff.go.jp/hokuriku/kids/question/green03.html). Sorry, the references are in Japanese (Google Translate?), but they basically say that, even if it has seeds, if it is an annual (or biennial) crop (like melons, gourds, tomatoes, and peppers), rather than perennial (like an orange tree, apple tree, or some other basically permanent fruit-producing plant), then it is a vegetable. Who knew? I didn’t. Ignorance fought (by my Jr High class!). Fine print for pedants: I realize this is kind of a silly point because, obviously, the definitions of the English word vegetable and the Japanese word yasai are not going to be the same. But, c’mon, don’t be such a loser. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-japan-watermelons-are-veggies/477383/2 "2008-12-16T12:29:21Z")
Yeah, did you ever notice how similar they are to cucumbers? They’re in the same genus or something. And yet I still think of watermelon as fruit and cucumber as vegetable. ---
**Author:** ![seodoa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@seodoa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seodoa)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-japan-watermelons-are-veggies/477383/3 "2008-12-16T12:48:23Z")
Melons, gourds, and cucumbers are all in the same family, but different genera. One could pedantically argue that cucumbers are fruits just as much as one could argue that watermelons are vegetables. [Strawberries](http://blog.canpan.info/saitama/archive/8) and [bananas](http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%90%E3%83%8A%E3%83%8A) are also considered vegetables. Like the aforementioned frugetables, they are false fruits, but, regardless, widely considered fruits in the US. The difference in distinction is neat. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-japan-watermelons-are-veggies/477383/4 "2008-12-16T12:57:53Z")
It’s quite simple, really. Fruits are round. Anything not round is not a fruit. In Japan, watermelons are square. Therefore, watermelons in Japan are not fruits. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-japan-watermelons-are-veggies/477383/5 "2008-12-16T13:43:39Z")
Ketchup was almost made a[vegetable](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketchup_as_a_vegetable), by Reagan. I really have nothing to add to the watermelon is a veg discussion. It was the first thing I thought of. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-japan-watermelons-are-veggies/477383/6 "2008-12-16T16:29:12Z")
Well, in China tomatoes are fruits. Not honorary ones, but real ones. Sold right next to the oranges and peaches. Not too long ago I had a sugary tomato birthday cake. Blech. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-japan-watermelons-are-veggies/477383/7 "2008-12-16T16:32:10Z")
In Russia, fruits are YOU! ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-japan-watermelons-are-veggies/477383/8 "2008-12-16T16:53:10Z")
In the Middle East, cucumbers are often treated like fruits – offered after meals along with bananas, oranges, apples, etc., and on breakfast buffets in the same way. You eat them unpeeled. (They are also put in savory-type salads, though.) However, these cucumbers are small and completely unbitter, very unlike the ones I’m used to in the US. ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-japan-watermelons-are-veggies/477383/9 "2008-12-16T16:54:56Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > In Russia, fruits are YOU! Not that there’s anything wrong with that. ---
**Author:** ![Ichini\_Sanshigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/d9b06d/32.png) [@Ichini\_Sanshigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichini_Sanshigo)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-japan-watermelons-are-veggies/477383/10 "2008-12-16T17:16:12Z")
I thought anything with seeds was classified (biologically) as a fruit. Actually, I seem to recall that there are something like three different ways of classifying fruits versus vegetables. Let me see if I can find it. ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-japan-watermelons-are-veggies/477383/11 "2008-12-16T17:22:41Z")
> [@Ichini\_Sanshigo](#): > > I thought anything with seeds was classified (biologically) as a fruit… I don’t think the OP was talking about the biological classification. ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-japan-watermelons-are-veggies/477383/12 "2008-12-16T17:41:54Z")
[QUOTE=wiki] The term “vegetable” generally means the edible parts of plants. The definition of the word is traditional rather than scientific, however, and therefore the usage of the word is somewhat arbitrary and subjective, as it is determined by individual cultural customs of food selection and food preparation. [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=more wiki] The word “vegetable”, in its modern usage, is strictly a culinary term, and is not a botanical or scientific term[citation needed]. The word “fruit” on the other hand can be a culinary term, or it can be a botanical term, and these two usages are quite different. [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=again wiki] The question “The tomato: is it a fruit, or is it a vegetable?” found its way into the United States Supreme Court in 1893. The court ruled unanimously in Nix v. Hedden that a tomato is correctly identified as, and thus taxed as, a vegetable, for the purposes of the 1883 Tariff Act on imported produce. The court did acknowledge however that botanically speaking, a tomato is a fruit. [/QUOTE] Apparently things can be both fruit and vegetable. I am going to throw that last bit at the next person who says “you know, a tomato is really a fruit” ---
**Author:** ![Ichini\_Sanshigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/d9b06d/32.png) [@Ichini\_Sanshigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichini_Sanshigo)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-japan-watermelons-are-veggies/477383/13 "2008-12-16T17:52:03Z")
Found it (sort of), but **askeptic** beat me to it. There’s the culinary definition (sweet versus savory) and the biological/botanical definition (seeds versus no seeds). I think there’s another classification, but I have to check my old Farmer’s Almanac for that. ---
**Author:** ![El\_DeLuxo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_deluxo/32/9043_2.png) [@El\_DeLuxo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_DeLuxo)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-japan-watermelons-are-veggies/477383/14 "2008-12-16T22:30:58Z")
Melons are the fruits of melon _plants_, are they not? ---
**Author:** ![Taber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac91a4/32.png) [@Taber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taber)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-japan-watermelons-are-veggies/477383/15 "2008-12-16T23:38:50Z")
> [@askeptic](#): > > [QUOTE=wiki] > The question “The tomato: is it a fruit, or is it a vegetable?” found its way into the United States Supreme Court in 1893. The court ruled unanimously in Nix v. Hedden that a tomato is correctly identified as, and thus taxed as, a vegetable, for the purposes of the 1883 Tariff Act on imported produce. The court did acknowledge however that botanically speaking, a tomato is a fruit. Apparently things can be both fruit and vegetable. I am going to throw that last bit at the next person who says “you know, a tomato is really a fruit” [/QUOTE] The court has ruled that a tomato is a vegetable for the purpose of the 1883 Tarriff Act. Unless you were discussing the 1883 Tarriff Act, you might be out of luck. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-japan-watermelons-are-veggies/477383/16 "2008-12-16T23:55:20Z")
> [@emilyforce](#): > > I don’t think the OP was talking about the biological classification. That is the entire problem with this discussion every time. People talking at cross-purposes. ---
**Author:** ![ryobserver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@ryobserver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryobserver)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-japan-watermelons-are-veggies/477383/17 "2008-12-17T00:17:53Z")
One of my favorite “fruits”, rhubarb, is undeniably a vegetable. There’s not a seed in a ton of the stuff. Other than that I’ve got nothin’. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-japan-watermelons-are-veggies/477383/18 "2008-12-17T00:33:54Z")
> [@seodoa](#): > > Fine print for pedants…c’mon, don’t be such a loser. This disclaimer should be put at the end of every SDMB post. And that’s really interesting about the watermelons in Japan. I love hearing about odd little cultural differences like that. ---
**Author:** ![PopeJewish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@PopeJewish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PopeJewish)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-japan-watermelons-are-veggies/477383/19 "2008-12-17T00:38:27Z")
I had a similar experience with my Japanese students about the identification of tomatoes. They were NOT happy that I was convinced tomatoes were a fruit, and I had to stop the discussion and steer the class back on track so we could actually learn english instead of debate biology all day. stupid japaneses… and for the record, I’ve STILL never seen a square watermelon, the ones they sell at my local stores are the normal round shape (and damnit, that’s how they should be!) ---
**Author:** ![Ichini\_Sanshigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/d9b06d/32.png) [@Ichini\_Sanshigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichini_Sanshigo)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-japan-watermelons-are-veggies/477383/20 "2008-12-17T02:40:28Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > That is the entire problem with this discussion every time. People talking at cross-purposes. I see what you did there… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-japan-watermelons-are-veggies/477383.md?page=2)