Via Steven Den Beste’s anime blog Chizumatic (entry 20060726.2225), we find this little nugget of information:
That ice-cold watermelon may be refreshing, but it can be less nutritious than watermelon served at room temperature, U.S. Department of Agriculture scientists reported on Wednesday.
Watermelons stored at room temperature deliver more nutrients than refrigerated or freshly picked melons, they reported in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Penelope Perkins-Veazie and Julie Collins of the USDA’s South Central Agricultural Research Laboratory in Lane, Oklahoma looked specifically at carotenoids — antioxidants that can counter the damage caused by sun, chemicals and day-to-day living.
Den Beste goes on to say:
For crying out loud! Who gives a damn? The reason for eating watermelon cold is because it’s a hot day and it’s refreshing. (Or it is if you like the stuff; me, I really hate the flavor.)
While Den Beste is right about the refreshing nature of cold watermelon on a hot day, the fact that he hates the flavor, unfortunately, makes him the Anti-Torley. (Pity…I really respect his opinions on a lot of other things, many of them dating back to the old USS Clueless days…)
