Lesson Learned: Blame the Coconut

When abroad, I like to share lessons learned with friends via text messages, but since I don’t have anyone to text here, I thought I would share on this forum.

After the Vacances Santé trip to the coconut plantation, we received several coconuts as cadeaux for coming to visit.  I received 4 and shared the first one with the German girl right away.  The second one I opened and very cleverly took advantage of a plastic container and my fridge in hopes for making it last.

Lesson learned: Though delicious, coconut water ferments VERY quickly, as in, after a day or so, even sealed from air in the fridge.  Mine was in an unsealed glass, 3-4 days in the fridge…ie BAD things happened.  It tasted fine, but it ended with the first round of Cipro I’ve taken since getting VERY sick at Tabaski 2009  Cipro+ORS in the early morning saved me from an unfortunate series of events at the Vacances Santé Closing Ceremony all day Saturday.  

(Internet picture)

Also, fresh coconut meat does not last more than a day or two, even sealed, and will then smell like yeast or something else and have a thick coat of slime that will turn your stomach before you can even dream of eating it after getting sick on the juice.  I gave my 3^rd coconut from the Vacances Santé trip away to a coworker after church this morning and will eat the final one FAST as soon as I can stomach the idea of it (in the next few days).  Fortunately I’ve kept the unopened coconuts in the fridge (well, the cleaning lady put them in the fridge, I had no idea!) but should probably eat it fast anyways.  

Lesson learned, yikes!