During my recent trip to the US, I discovered that coconut water is becoming available in many supermarkets. I heard people talk about its benefits, speaking as though they just discovered the stuff. It's becoming a chic thing to drink.
When I was little in Cartagena, my sister and I used to ask our grandparents' gardener to get us some coconuts from the palm trees above our heads. He would climb the trunk like, well, like a monkey. He would hug the palm tree with all fours and scatter up the trunk quickly and barefoot. I never saw him wearing shoes. He would use his giant, rusty machete to chip away at the top of the coconut and hand it to us. Once we drank the water, he chipped at the coconut a bit more, and we'd eat the fleshy inside lining. Yum.
After a quick internet search, I found that among its benefits, coconut water increases metabolism (yes, it helps you lose weight!), helps fight viruses, reduces the risk of cancer, promotes your immune system, improves circulation, and naturally re-hydrates your body after exercising, among many others.
Trinidadians, like many other inhabitants of tropical climates, have been drinking, and selling, coconut water forever. It's typical for hosts to offer you coconut water when you go to their home for a visit. One of my favorite things to see along the Queen's Park Savannah, the largest park in Port of Spain, are coconut carriages.
After a long walk around the savannah (the perimeter of which is 2.2 miles and makes up the largest traffic roundabout in the world), people stop at these carriages for a sip of coconut water.
Today I met a man who's been selling coconut water at the savannah for over 40 years. With a machete that looked a lot like the one my grandparents' gardener had, he chipped off the top, and I had a delicious drink. Perfect for the 87 degree afternoon.
I asked my new friend (I'll visit him again soon to ask his name) what he thought about the bottled coconut water you find at the grocery store these days. He told me that they have to add preservatives to the water because it goes bad quickly after it's taken out of the coconut. And besides, he said "It not da same! People keep comin'."
Not sure if you find coconut water as interesting as I do, but hopefully you appreciate its benefits. So go out and get yourself a rusty machete and chop up some coconuts...or go to Whole Foods and get yourself a tetra pack of the stuff.
Check out this link for more on the benefits of coconut water:
When I was little in Cartagena, my sister and I used to ask our grandparents' gardener to get us some coconuts from the palm trees above our heads. He would climb the trunk like, well, like a monkey. He would hug the palm tree with all fours and scatter up the trunk quickly and barefoot. I never saw him wearing shoes. He would use his giant, rusty machete to chip away at the top of the coconut and hand it to us. Once we drank the water, he chipped at the coconut a bit more, and we'd eat the fleshy inside lining. Yum.
After a quick internet search, I found that among its benefits, coconut water increases metabolism (yes, it helps you lose weight!), helps fight viruses, reduces the risk of cancer, promotes your immune system, improves circulation, and naturally re-hydrates your body after exercising, among many others.
Trinidadians, like many other inhabitants of tropical climates, have been drinking, and selling, coconut water forever. It's typical for hosts to offer you coconut water when you go to their home for a visit. One of my favorite things to see along the Queen's Park Savannah, the largest park in Port of Spain, are coconut carriages.
After a long walk around the savannah (the perimeter of which is 2.2 miles and makes up the largest traffic roundabout in the world), people stop at these carriages for a sip of coconut water.
Today I met a man who's been selling coconut water at the savannah for over 40 years. With a machete that looked a lot like the one my grandparents' gardener had, he chipped off the top, and I had a delicious drink. Perfect for the 87 degree afternoon.
I asked my new friend (I'll visit him again soon to ask his name) what he thought about the bottled coconut water you find at the grocery store these days. He told me that they have to add preservatives to the water because it goes bad quickly after it's taken out of the coconut. And besides, he said "It not da same! People keep comin'."
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| My local grocery stores carries 2-liter bottles of coconut water. |
Not sure if you find coconut water as interesting as I do, but hopefully you appreciate its benefits. So go out and get yourself a rusty machete and chop up some coconuts...or go to Whole Foods and get yourself a tetra pack of the stuff.
Check out this link for more on the benefits of coconut water:
Next entry: My brother-in-law has asked me to investigate roti, a typical Trinidadian dish. Your wish is my command, dear brother.
My mom tells me that your "new friend" used to sell his coconuts on a donkey when she was a little girl not a carriage!
ReplyDeleteThat's amazing! He has been around forever.
ReplyDelete