My dad once told me that if you eat the seeds of a watermelon then little watermelons would grow in my stomach. I believed this for a very long time and still think about when I see watermelon seeds. My friends all had similar thoughts about eating seeds of fruit. I now know that this isn’t possible, but am still reminded of watermelons seeds from time to time.

Informant: The informant of this folklore is Hannah Vaughn she lives in the Pacific Palisades. Hannah is nineteen years old and heard this from her dad while vacationing in Palm Springs.

Analysis: I was scared for the longest time to eat seeds of watermelons and apples because I heard they would grow more fruit in your belly. This folklore is known across the nation and could have been a way to avoid eating seeds. Maybe the seeds tasted good and as a way of getting people not to eat them they said they would cause baby fruits to grow inside their bellies.