又到了炎炎夏日的吃瓜季節！童鞋們選瓜方式各有不同，但有一個為眾人所熟知的步驟就是——敲！
6月17日，一位網友在微博發布一張圖片並配文：這家義大利超市要求顧客不要敲西瓜。警示標語放在一個擺滿了西瓜的貨架上：「請停止敲打西瓜，他們不會回應的！」
其實，也沒有跡象表明超市是針對持中國人。儘管這個標誌是義大利文，但它被一些中國網友認為是一種針對自己生活習慣的攻擊。
據新浪微博報導，有中國媒體稱該警示語是針對中國客人的。於是一些網民很快就站出來表示抗議。
┗|｀O′|┛
嘛呢嘛呢，西瓜都不讓敲了？聽網友實力吐槽：
@天上跑_26：沒有被敲過的西瓜，一生是不完美的
@blueblue-ink：子非瓜安知瓜不應
@那我慢點：這是對西瓜最起碼的尊重
據說，發布這則微博的是一個生活在米蘭的中國人。不過現在這張照片已經被從他的網頁上刪除啦。
也有網友表示，「敲西瓜」這習慣，絕不是中國人獨有。不信你在谷歌和維基上搜索「如何挑選西瓜」，在各種條目中，「敲西瓜」也是推薦方法中最常見的喔！
圖片為證↓↓
（原文大意：掌握敲瓜技術。雖然敲瓜判斷好壞有點難以掌握，但是許多西瓜愛好者仍然堅信這一判斷方式。用你的指關節輕輕敲擊西瓜，聽它的回聲。如果西瓜熟了，你會聽到一個飽滿清脆的聲音，如果你聽到低沉的呻吟，說明瓜還沒有熟透。）
這事兒還真的引發了一陣全球熱議，連BBC都被驚動了！
近日，BBC以《The international language of watermelon knocking（敲西瓜的國際語言）》為題，專門撰文來評說「敲西瓜」一事。在作者看來，談論「敲西瓜」可不僅僅是一場關於科學的辯論，更是為中國人的聲譽正名！
那麼，敲西瓜在老外眼裡到底算什麼？我們一起來看看這篇文章！
謙遜的西瓜、夏日的縮影。但是你怎麼知道西瓜熟透了？好吧，現在有一種理論認為,如果你努力敲敲瓜外面，你聽到的聲音將幫助你確定它是不是可以吃了。
The humble watermelon. The epitome of summer. But how do you know if it's perfectly ripe? Well, one theory is that if you knock hard on the outside, the sound you hear will help determine if it's ready to eat.
這一理論在中國引發了一場巨大的在線辯論，誰是從事「西瓜敲門」藝術的最佳人選？
成千上萬的人在中國的微博網站新浪微博上參與討論，這事其實是被遠在千裡之外的義大利的一個不起眼的事件揭開的序幕。
That theory lead to a huge online debate in China about what kind of people engaged in the art of 'watermelon knocking'?
The discussion, which thousands of people contributed to on the Chinese micro blogging site Sina Weibo, was kicked off by an obscure event thousands of miles away in Italy.
一些人分享了自己對這個事情的吐槽。
Many shared jokes aimed at the supermarket sign.
一些人分享了自己聽西瓜反應的照片：
Some people shared photos of themselves listening for a response from watermelons:
西瓜的話題是一個典型案例，體現了一些中國人比較擔憂自己在世界人民眼中的形象。最近，中國外交部否認中國食品公司在非洲用「人肉」罐頭冒充鹹牛肉罐頭出售。尚比亞小報kachepa就此事已經發布了一個道歉文。中國遊客也被來自泰國的一個模特指責他們踩到她的腳並插隊到最前面，還說他們搞髒了機場的廁所。
The topic of watermelons is another example of how some people in China are concerned about how they are perceived around the world. Recently, China's foreign ministry denied reports that Chinese food companies were canning human flesh and selling it in Africa as corned beef. The Zambian tabloid KACHEPA has since issued an apology. Chinese tourists were also under fire from a model in Thailand who accused them of stepping on her feet and pushing their way to the front of the line. She also blamed them for dirty airport toilets.
中國網民熱衷於在網上恢復他們的聲譽，為自己正名，因為經常有中國媒體把社交媒體上的內容當真。網友也熱衷於顯示他們知道得更多，尤其在敲西瓜這件事上。
其實，簡單地搜索一下就知道，中國網民在這件事的立場並不孤立。西瓜」得到一個空心的聲音確實是一個近乎普遍的概念。大量的視頻和博客都認為，這樣可以幫助選擇一個好的西瓜。這個動作甚至出現在電影和動畫中。俄羅斯流行的卡通，「Nu，pogodi！」就有「敲西瓜」這個插曲。
Chinese social media users are keen to address and restore their reputation online as often Chinese media reports take stories on social media as truth. Online users are keen to show they know better, especially on the subject of watermelons.
A quick online search will reveal that Chinese social media users are not alone in their thinking. Watermelon knocking and listening for a hollow sound is indeed a near universal concept. A vast array of videos and blogs with advice on how to pick a good watermelon. It even appears in film and animation. Popular Russian cartoon, 'Nu, pogodi!' included watermelon knocking as part of an episode.
一個搞笑視頻聲稱有神奇的公式幫你挑西瓜，但最終的結果不是很有說服力。甚至有一個中國大學生設計了智慧型手機應用，只為能幫你挑選到理想的西瓜。
One video comically claimed to have a magic formula but the end result was not very convincing. There's even a smart phone app designed by Chinese university students to you help you in your endeavour to to find the ideal watermelon.
其實在選擇水果時，沒有絕對的保證。但是，在會造成國際「外交事件」的風險下，我們在此給出建議，這也許是選擇「完美西瓜」的基本準則也說不定哦。
多數人會用下面幾招：
There are no absolute guarantees about what to do when it comes to choosing fruit. But at the risk of causing an international diplomatic incident we would suggest there some common ground about what to look for to choose the perfect watermelon? Most will say to look for one or all of the following:
感受瓜的重量，越重越好；
敲西瓜，它應該感覺堅硬，如果它有彈性，它就是適合品嘗的；
看看瓜上的標記，有一頭是黃色的，那表明它已經熟了。
Feel the weight of the melon. The heavier the better
Press on the watermelon. It should feel firm and if it springs back, it's ready to eat
Look at the markings on the melon. A yellow patch on one end indicates it's ready
當然，如果這些都不管用，你可以堅持不懈地敲下去並等待回音！
Of course if that all that fails, you could always, knock and wait for a reply.
說了這麼多，小編也口乾舌燥了，一會兒下了班就去買個西瓜。不過，我敲or不敲？That's a question。
（小編/周安琪 翻譯 / 微信公眾號：一直省略號）