Week 5 Post

When I saw this image, I immediately thought of an important time in my childhood. My grandpa has worked in the melon fields his whole life and I would get really excited when he would get off work and ask me to grab the melons that he would bring back for my grandma. I remember grabbing the melons very carefully and then I would watch my grandma cut the melon. I thought my grandma was so strong because she was able to cut that melon into pieces in no time. She had to wrestle with the melon for that initial cut, but once I could hear the pressure being released, I knew my grandma had victory. She explained different ways to cut it and served it differently each time. Sometimes it would just be sliced, other times it would be chopped into little pieces and mixed in with other fruit, and sometimes she would cut the rind off and sprinkle chili powder on it. My grandma still creates magic in the kitchen, and I still think its amazing that she can make many dishes out of what she has. When I first learned how to cut watermelon I accidentally cut it wrong and I was embarrassed to show my grandma. When she saw she told me I cut out watermelon popsicles and I was very proud and showed the rest of my family, who also went along with it for my sake. Produce is almost sacred for my family because we are all farmworkers, we need produce to survive financially. I appreciated the painting because it brought back those happy memories in ways that others wouldn't understand and might say is insignificant, but Carmen Lomas Garza art is able to capture those moments beautifully.