Why is it ALWAYS Coconuts?

This morning I started thinking about 'what would be the most unique blog I could write.' I think I may have nailed it. Coconuts. Why not? Why not!? Well, for starters, coconuts are a touchy subject. They are the type of food, much like brussels sprouts, you love or hate. Coconuts are experiencing a sort of craze too. They seem to be in everything from candy and granola bars (much the same thing) to drinks and meals. What is the deal? Why is it always coconuts? What is a coconut anyway?
 
A coconut is a member of the Arecaceae family and the only species of the genus Cocos (according to Wikipedia, so it must be true...) Also from Wikipedia, I read the term coconut is derived from a 16th century Spanish/Portuguese word coco, meaning "head" or "skull" so named because of the three little indentions on the shell that resemble facial features. (Sorry, but now there is one more reason to love or hate coconuts. They are creepy...) 

When most of us think of coconuts, we think of the islands and usually Florida or Hawaii. Did you know coconuts are not actually indigenous to Florida or Hawaii but to the Caribbean island of Trinidad. You see, there was a ship wreck in the late 1800's and thousands of coconuts were scattered along the coast of Florida. The coconut palms grew into what would later become Palm Beach. Most all the palms growing in (most) places were put there by us, not nature! 

What to do? What to do? Make stuff of course! Dah! Dear Readers! We make drinks and treats. We make main meals and sides too. We eat it raw, dried, cooked, you name it, we eat it. I used to hate coconut when I was a little girl. My mother would raid my Halloween trick-or-treat basket for Mounds or Almond Joy the "bad neighbors" would hand out. We three kids acted like those candy bars had the plague or something! My mother would fish them out and squirrel them away to eat in private because just the smell of them made us kids squirm. God forbid she attempt to actually consume those nasty candy bars in front of us! (I still don't like either candy bar very much unless I make them homemade and then they're okay. I only like them in stuff like a macaroon or something.) 

Where do you stand on coconut Dear Readers. Love it or hate it? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

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