Based on “This Easy Tomato-Watermelon Salad Will Help You Beat the Heat” by Melissa Clark for the New York Times
Chinese families don’t eat salads; it’s a well-known fact. I met a girl from Beijing this summer who leaned into me at dinnertime to whisper in a conspiratorial tone, “I’m not used to eating so much salad!” And it’s true: From birth, we have been taught to appreciate staple stir-fried sides like scrambled eggs and tomatoes (the favorite) or picked vegetables like crunchy bites of white radish on top of congee.
At hot garden picnics, we cool off with (not salad), but large slices of red watermelon with glossy, black seeds that glisten like dark pearls in the sun. We even save the peels to sauté any salvageable rinds. Would I have chopped up its sweet flesh to serve with savory crumbs of anchovies? No!
But as the years have gone by, I have become accustomed to and even grown to love salads filled with underappreciated gems such as surgery slices of pear and smoky bits of salmon. However, it never remained a daily staple until recently, when my family decided to eat healthier by adding more raw ingredients.
I have started to get used to the rhythmic routines of stirring a simple medley of olive oil and balsamic vinegar with fresh arugula greens, its acidity cutting through the richness of creamy avocados and the greasiness of soft cheese. To my surprise, we all enjoy it, and at its core, the effect is the same – good food for a hearty meal. And that Tomato-Watermelon salad? That’s on the menu for tomorrow night.
- Photo Credit to New York Times Cooking
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