Opening a Coconut Travel Tip

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Opening a Coconut Travel Tip
Buying a coconut is easy in the Tropics, a cheap source of food and protein, however how does one go about cracking and eating a coconut, sometime this is difficult nut to crack.

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Bangkok, Thailand
Khao San Road - Center of Backpacker Universe
Southeast Asia
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Bangkok, Thailand Hotels
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Buy a coconut; hopefully they give you a plastic bag.

Place the coconut in one to three plastic bags; walk outdoors to a place where the ants can drink the coconut milk in peace.

Now swing the plastic bag with the coconut inside over your head onto the concrete. Do not bang on clay bricks as you can break them, find a good stone, concrete post, or something very solid and bang away.

A truly good whack the first time is the best strategy, take care about the coconut milk, this is a messy operation.

You will still need a knife to pry the coconut from the shell, however the best way I know to crack this nut.

Opening a Coconut Travel Tip

Plants |

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Reader Submitted Comments | Deleted Comments (0)

Eric said on Saturday June 13th, 2009 09:13:26 AM

Andy,

You could save the coconut water (milk) and make less mess by drilling a hole and draining it. Its more work, but a decent knife or screwdriver should do the job. Best to drill out the dark eyes of the coconut. For some, this may not be worth the effort. After that, then break it. Ive heard an ice cream scooper works good for getting the meat out.

In the wild Ive opened them with nothing but my bare hands and a rock. Without tools this is not an envious task.

Eric

Karl said on Saturday June 13th, 2009 01:28:03 PM
http://www.adventurekarl.com

Hello Andy,
why such a mess? Hold the coconut in one hand and knock with something (stone, back of a knife, hammer, crowbar, 2 by 4, whatever you find in your backpack :-) ) around the equator of the nut. It will crack open in two perfect half.
And inside is coconutwater. In coconutcountry you only drink the water from green nuts who have not jet meat inside. Coconutmilk is a mixture of the grinded white meat inside and water.
Karl

Rob said on Saturday June 13th, 2009 07:13:35 PM

Why dont you buy a green coconut? They taste so much better and are easier to open and the juice is fresh.

Andy HoboTraveler.com said on Saturday June 13th, 2009 07:27:00 PM

I do not NOT want two nice halves of a coconut, because It is very difficult to get the meat of the coconut removed from the shell. It works a lot better if you have 10 fragments, then when the coconut dries about 4-10 hours is slowly will allow me to use a knife to pry out the pieces and eat them.

Note, never eat the whole coconut or you will be in the toilet the next day.

Andy

Chuck W0W said on Saturday June 13th, 2009 10:18:28 PM

Pay they extra 5 baht ya cheap Farang and they will open it for you with cool refreshing milk intact.

Karl said on Sunday June 14th, 2009 07:49:33 AM

Sorry Andy, only tried to help. So I guess you know that trick allready. Maybe I also talk too much.
Karl

Andy of HoboTraveler.com said on Sunday June 14th, 2009 08:42:51 AM

Karl, your method is great.

Andy

Robin said on Tuesday June 16th, 2009 12:56:01 AM
http://www.GadTramp.com

Im not mean really... but wish you hadnt shared this... its so much fun watching Westerners spend hours trying to open a coconut!!

wrinklie said on Tuesday June 16th, 2009 09:46:44 AM
http://www.travelinsurance-over75.co.uk

Hey, I was one of those westerners. It was a wet and windy day in the Maldives. Cant even remember if we got it open:)

Wade | VagabondJourney.com said on Tuesday June 16th, 2009 10:18:22 PM
http://www.vagabondjourney.com

If you tie up the open side of the plastic bag after you smash it and then poke a hole in one of the corners, you can squeeze the milk into a cup and still drink it.

Wade