The mighty coconut!

I've decided to elaborate on the remaining title words from this blog- mostly because I've already talked about cats a few times so will add a little more variety for you! The words were chosen pretty randomly- the first 2 were a suggestion from Alicia and I definitely liked the alliteration. The last word I threw on since it seemed a very Hawaiian thing as well...although my understanding of the last word was clearly incorrect as you'll soon learn in the next post!

In the shade of the coconut palm tree

 On to coconuts! And I can think of no better intro than Monty Python...
1st soldier with a keen interest in birds: Who goes there?
King Arthur: It is I, Arthur, son of Uther Pendragon, from the castle of Camelot. King of the Britons, defeater of the Saxons, Sovereign of all England!
1st soldier with a keen interest in birds: Pull the other one!
King Arthur: I am, and this is my trusty servant Patsy. We have ridden the length and breadth of the land in search of knights who will join me in my court at Camelot. I must speak with your lord and master.
1st soldier with a keen interest in birds: What? Ridden on a horse?
King Arthur: Yes!
1st soldier with a keen interest in birds: You're using coconuts!
King Arthur: What?
1st soldier with a keen interest in birds: You've got two empty halves of coconut and you're bangin' 'em together.
King Arthur: So? We have ridden since the snows of winter covered this land, through the kingdom of Mercia, through...
1st soldier with a keen interest in birds: Where'd you get the coconuts?
King Arthur: We found them.
1st soldier with a keen interest in birds: Found them? In Mercia? The coconut's tropical!
King Arthur: What do you mean?
1st soldier with a keen interest in birds: Well, this is a temperate zone
King Arthur: The swallow may fly south with the sun or the house martin or the plover may seek warmer climes in winter, yet these are not strangers to our land?
1st soldier with a keen interest in birds: Are you suggesting coconuts migrate?
King Arthur: Not at all. They could be carried.
1st soldier with a keen interest in birds: What? A swallow carrying a coconut?
King Arthur: It could grip it by the husk!
1st soldier with a keen interest in birds: It's not a question of where he grips it! It's a simple question of weight ratios! A five ounce bird could not carry a one pound coconut.
King Arthur: Well, it doesn't matter. Will you go and tell your master that Arthur from the Court of Camelot is here? 

Well perhaps King Arthur was a little right...turns out that scientists believe that the coconut originated in South America. It's presence in other tropical locations is thought to be more from migration/exploration of new lands by explorers. The other theory of arrival on the islands in addition to being brought by boats, is that the coconut itself washed up on the shores from distant lands, then germinated and trees sprouted. Either theory is pretty plausible, and reinforced by the fact that you don't see coconut trees inland- only on the coastal margins of the islands. Apparently, true Hawaiians know that the coconut is not a native plant- even though it is probably one of the first things we think of when picturing the tropical island chain. School lessons here include teaching about native plants and animals (neat idea!), of which the coconut incorporated itself into several thousand years ago.

In addition to incorporating itself into the natural flora here, the coconut is a very important piece of Hawaiian culture. Originally believed to be some direct part of the Hawaiian god 'Ku'- only men were allowed to plant and eat the coconut. Women were allowed to use other parts of the plant though to make bowls, mats with the leaves, and other textiles/household items. One other neat thing I found was that the water/electrolyte/sugar balance in coconut water is similar to the current IV bags we use daily at the hospital. Apparently the internal coconut water is/was considered sterile until the husk is opened- so the water was and still can be used as an emergency IV solution for rehydration. It was reportedly even mixed with blood for transfusions at some point in history!  Who needs to order LRS on a tropical island anymore??!!  We'll just use coconuts. Maybe even offer a discount if people bring in a coconut with their pet...

Today, the coconut is still used as a food source- coconut water and meat being the components- eaten plain, made into the delicious haupia dessert already discussed or incorporated into several other recipes. The shell can be used to form various crafty items and of course somebody must have used it as a bra at some point- and the image has stuck for ages with a hula dancer wearing a grass skirt and coconut shell top. Couldn't find any 'historical documentation" on that one...sorry!

There is lots of research is being done on the coconut to look at it's potential health benefits. Thought to have several helpful properties including anti-cancer, anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory, promoting good metabolic/endocrine health (thyroid, pancreas, etc) and just a good source of essential fatty acids and minerals. Of course it has been used in traditional medicine for related purposes

Sunset through the coconut trees at a black sand beach on the Big Island

If you'd like to learn more about coconuts- plan to visit the annual coconut festival on the island of Kauai coming up this fall. Also in December, the tasty Baked Haupia Pie will make its seasonal return to McDonald's at a location near you...if you are in Hawaii...=)