I'm glad I asked...or, how to chose a watermelon

I went to costco the other day and was looking at the watermelon. I hate picking out melons, because i never know how to find a good one. I heard that a ripe cantelope smells fruity, so you're supposed to sniff them to see which one is good. Once, when I sniffed one, I got a nose full of mold that was growing on the rind. But that's another story. So i was looking at the watermelon, trying to look like I knew what I was doing, when I noticed a pretty girl (20's?) doing the same thing. i just assumed that she was as clueless as me, and thought i'd make friendly conversation, so I said, "How do you pick a good watermelon?" I expected her to say, "I have no idea." And then I would say, "me neither." and then we'd laugh, or something. But instead, she started telling me all about watermelon! apparently, she grew up on a farm.

So here's what she told me: if you thunk it, and you hear a dull thud, it's not ripe. But if it sounds hollow, that's a good one. Also, the heavier they are, the better, becuase that means they have a lot of stuff inside. And the best ones have a little bit of juice oozing out of the stem-stump, because that means they're really juicy inside.

as a side note, i asked the produce guy how to pick a cantelope. He didn't say anything about smelling them. He said to squeeze them gently, especially around the stem-stump (what's that spot called?). If they're tender, that means they're ripe....on second thought, I think he *did* say that they would smell fruity.