| Original Message: Musk Melons = Canteloupes |
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The melon we in America call a "canteloupe" is actually a species of musk melon. It was given the Italian name by immigrants who thought it looked like (or may have been) the fruit they knew from the old country. Or someone made that association. Also, just because a fruit is called a "melon," that doesn't mean it is a melon. Gourds and squashes are confused with melons and with each other. English language naming is full of mistaken identities, convenience, presumption, and simplicity. A "cheesecake" is not a cake but a pie. But since it's made in a cake pan it's called a "cake." A "Boston cream pie" is not a pie, but a cake. But since it's made in a pie pan, it's called a "pie." There does not have to be ONE answer to any question or issue. What inspired the bead shape? Any fruit or seed or pod that people thought was attractive, that had symbolical value, and was know either locally or exotically to the people who made the beads. Jamey All rights reserved by Bead Collector Network and its users |
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