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<\/p>\nOur May watermelon carver interview is with Nan Dye, who was born in Thailand, but now lives in Knoxville, Tennessee. She\u2019s a dental assistant, which means she\u2019s good with her hands and a natural watermelon carver.<\/p>\n
Nan\u2019s carving in the 2014 Watermelon Carving Contest stood out because it was a beautiful rendition of the contest logo (that\u2019s it below). She took home the second place prize in the \u201cMost Elegant Carving\u201d category and has big plans for this year, too.<\/p>\n
Nan and I talked briefly recently about carvings and other watermelon topics, and here\u2019s what she had to say:<\/p>\n
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF. WHEN YOU\u2019RE NOT CARVING WATERMELON, WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO?<\/p>\n
When I\u2019m not carving, I love to spend time with my family. We often go hiking, kayaking, biking, and experiencing all of the beauty that Tennessee has to offer. I also love cooking Thai meals for my friends and family.<\/p>\n
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START CARVING WATERMELON?<\/p>\n
I love to see the positive reaction on people\u2019s faces when they see my watermelon carvings. Their reactions inspire me to carve even more intricate and beautiful carvings.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
WHAT SORT OF CARVINGS DO YOU LIKE TO CREATE?<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t have a specific type of carving that I prefer as I am inspired by all objects that I encounter each day. Since April showers bring May flowers, I find that I have been carving more flowers than usual.<\/p>\n
WHAT\u2019S BEEN YOUR MOST MEMORABLE WATERMELON CARVING?<\/p>\n
My most memorable carving was one I did for Chef Aaron McCargo Jr., and was shown on CNN.<\/p>\n
WHEN IT COMES TO EATING WATERMELON, DO YOU PREFER CHUNKS OR\u00a0WEDGES?<\/p>\n
While both chunks and wedges are great, I prefer to just cut the watermelon in half and dig in with a melon baller!<\/p>\n
WHAT\u2019S NEXT FOR YOU AS A CARVER? WHAT WILL YOU BE CARVING THIS YEAR?<\/p>\n
I plan to donate one carving per month to various retirement communities in my area. I also plan on winning the 2015 Watermelon carving contest! <\/p>\n
UP NEXT: Making watermelon jelly<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Our May watermelon carver interview is with Nan Dye, who was born in Thailand, but now lives in Knoxville, Tennessee. She\u2019s a dental assistant, which means she\u2019s good with her hands and a natural watermelon carver. Nan\u2019s carving in the 2014 Watermelon Carving Contest stood out because it was a beautiful rendition of the contest […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[229],"tags":[464,499,418,228,291],"class_list":{"0":"post-1860","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-watermelon-carving","7":"tag-2015-watermelon-carving-contest","8":"tag-nan-dye","9":"tag-watermelon-carver","10":"tag-watermelon-carving-2","11":"tag-watermelon-carving-contest","12":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\n