Coconuts

Coconut + machete

Whenever I'm traveling, I have a strict personal policy: I say yes to everything (well, as long as it's not illegal or life-threatening). This policy allows me to experience local culture in ways that others don't, and I've had some pretty crazy, awesome days as a result. It has always worked in my favor.

"We should get coconuts."

It was probably the fifth time Hanny had brought it up. As a coral biologist, Hanny has spent a lot of time in tropics, and coconuts are one of her favorite field work traditions. I had no idea how to buy, much less eat, a coconut, but I was game to try it. Teach me how to eat coconuts, I told her. We found a place selling them, paid $1.50 each, and the lesson began.

The first thing you need to eat a coconut is a machete. The nuts fall from palm trees in thick green husks, which must be chopped off to reveal the edible part inside. Thankfully, the seller usually cuts the husk off, so we were not responsible for machete-wielding. It was entertaining to watch the process, though!

"Instagram-worthy" photo by Hanny Rivera

Once the husk is off, you can open the coconut with a sharp kitchen knife. You shave off part of the thick brown shell and use the tip of the knife to carve a hole. You then insert a straw through the hole and suck out the coconut water inside. It's sweet and subtle and delicious. On a hot day, I must admit, some cold, fresh coconut water is an amazing treat.

Finally, when the water is all gone, you crack the coconut open and eat the pulp. Cracking is a difficult endeavor, and you need something heavy. We used a lead dive weight and hammered the shell for a few minutes, then dropped the dive weight on the coconut from waist level. It worked beautifully, and we were able to enjoy the pulp. You carve it out of the coconut with a spoon. Younger coconuts have more water and softer, thinner pulp, but older coconuts have less water and thicker, white pulp. It's a good idea to eat the pulp a little at a time because it's very oily.

I was glad for the chance to try coconuts!