Coconuts!

Saturday, after snorkeling, I decided that I was going to channel my inner Samoan and open a coconut.  They do it in movies all the time so how hard could it be? Answer: really, really hard.  I got my big coconut retrieving stick and started jabbing at the coconut tree (in our front yard).  No matter how hard I poked, the coconut would not come down.  I’m sure I looked like a fool waving the stick back and forth because I turned around and there was my neighbor sitting in her front yard laughing at me.  She asked multiple times if I needed help, but I was determined to get this coconut down on my own.  Finally she decided that this was a hopeless endeavor and called her husband in.  Within three swift pokes, he has about 7 coconuts rolling around on the ground.  At least I don’t live on a small island where everyone would hear about the palagi’s foolish attempt at coconut retrieving…oh wait…Well anyways….  I think my neighbor deemed me completely incompetent at this point because he decided that he was going to complete the rest of the coconut process for me.   He took a giant stick with a sharpened edge and shoved it in the ground.  Then he took the coconut and started banging it against the sharp edge.  Pretty soon he has had shucked the coconut for me.  All that was standing between me and the delicious coconut water was the top of the coconut, which could easily be cut off with a knife, according to my neighbor….wrong again.  Apparently dollar store knives and coconuts don’t mix.  (I’m blame my inability to cut the coconut on the knives because my self-esteem is pretty low at this point.)  Finally after about 30 minutes and one big mess later, my housemate and I managed to open the coconut.  Was it worth it?  For fresh coconut water and meat right off the coconut tree, I’d gladly go through it all again.  

Our coconut tree!

Our neighbor to the rescue!

Success!