Island Life

Every island is known for its beaches and unique food, especially its coconut water. It is commonplace to see coconut vendors along the highways in the Caribbean.

Antigua is known for having 365 picturesque beaches. It is also known for the brashness of its people. One day while perusing Antigua’s largest grocery store, Epicurean. My friend Charles grabbed a bottle of coconut water from a large display bin close to the checkout point. We were traveling all day and needed something to hydrate our thirsty and tired bodies. What better than a cold bottle of coconut water? We saw a bin filled with ice and bottles of coconut water. Charles reached for one of the bottles and as he lifted it from the bin an old man turned and yelled “ put that back!!” “put that back!!”. Charles and I looked at each other with wonder. The old man proceeded in a soft voice whispering “That ain’t taste good at all, you need real coconut water man’. Charles had picked up an imported bottle of coconut water.

Almost every home in the Caribbean has a coconut tree or for sure there are coconut trees in each neighborhood. So it is not uncommon for locals to cut their coconuts from the tree and drink the water directly from the coconut. We also have a lot of coconut vendors positioned along highly traversed highways and popular mall entrances.  The coconut vendor at the side of the street sells fresh coconut water, water poured directly from the coconut into the bottle. You can even drink the water from the coconut direct if you so desire and then cut the coconut in half and eat, my favorite part of the coconut……the jelly.

The old man suggested we leave the supermarket, go down the street from the grocery, take a left and we would find the coconut vendor with the best-tasting coconut in the whole of Antigua. According to him, the vendor has “the most delicious thirst-quenching coconut water we will ever taste ”. “Don’t buy that junk in here” he said. Charles said, “OK! I will try your guy at the bottom of the street”. The old man gave us a pleasing grin and said “OK good good!”

We finished picking up our groceries and headed out to the car. As we are about to put the groceries in the trunk of the car, the old man appears. He is yelling “Come! Come! Signaling to his vehicle a red Toyota Vitz parked six cars down from us. We walked towards him and he went into his trunk and pulled out three 500 ml bottles containing a clear liquid.

He told us these were the coconut water he bought from the coconut vendor before he came to the grocery. He opened a bottle, tasted it, and said….”aaaahhhh refreshing”. For a moment I thought he was going to ask us to taste it as he was so excited about his fresh coconut water, but instead, he said “You have to take one”. We kindly refused but thanked him for his kind gesture but he was adamant that we take a bottle. In a stern grandfather voice, he insisted that we each take a bottle. We did. He sweetly smiled and told us we wouldn’t regret it and to have a nice trip. We walked away laughing at his exuberance for this coconut water.

Sitting in the car Charles and I opened the bottles and took a sip, and let me just say it was indeed the best tasting coconut water we both have ever tasted. We drove to the end of the street by the Epicurean supermarket, turned left, and stopped and bought a few bottles from the vendor.

This coconut water was undeniably the best I have ever tasted.

Next time you are in Antigua… you must try the coconut vendor in Friars Hill just past Woods Plaza, before the entrance to Epicurean Supermarket. 

You will not regret it!