When I smell coconuts, I think of Hawaiian Tropic and summers at the public pool in my hometown.
When I see coconuts, I think of Tom Hanks in “Castaway” and Pepperidge Farms white cake.
Nothing about coconuts makes me think ‘cool’ or ‘hip’ or ‘trendy.’
But apparently drinking milk out of freshly peeled coconuts is all the rage now in Brooklyn. Sidewalk bodegas display them on ice, and tourists buy them.
In a recent New York Times feature, purchasers said the coconut drinks made them feel ‘beachy.’ Others liked the unusual shape and appearance. Most just wanted to be a part of the latest trend. But no one said they were super psyched about the taste of coconut milk, which seems like the reason to drink it…right?
Open your eyes, people. It’s not a martini glass. It’s a coconut. It’s actually kinda pale and bulbous, and the milk is thin and watery and sicky sweet. Just because you see a few people walking down the street with them, and you happen to be in New York City, doesn’t mean you automatically have to buy one to be cool.
It’s okay to be different.
Perhaps I’ve been an outlier for too much of my life. Or maybe I just think coconut milk tastes too icky to ‘suck it up’ for trendiness.
If only Diet Sunkist were hip — I’d be the next Carrie Bradshaw.
