Very Cool Invention

So I was chatting with my DS2 and DIL on Skype this morning and he mentioned that "of course, the Japanese invented the square watermelon.."

Well. My DS2 has been known to pull the proverbial leg on occasion. Actually, both sons keep their tongues firmly planted in their cheeks. So I had to ask, "Are you messin' with me?"

"No, Mom, it's for real. Look it up. There's this cool invention called the Internet. You can check it out."

So I did. It seems round watermelons take up so much space in the refrigerator. (They do.) It seems they roll around when you try to cut them. (They do.) So the farmers in southern Japan developed tempered glass boxes which they place in the field with the budding watermelon fruit inside. As it grows, it takes on the shape of its box. Then they dissemble the box and sell the watermelon for a whopping $82. But in Japan, this is only triple the normal price.

It was developed in 2001, and I would imagine the price will come down as the practice becomes more normalized. Here is a pic I found on the Internet: