During my childhood, I remember hearing my mom say, “I don’t cook anything that I don’t want to eat.”

She was a picky eater. Most notably, she was opposed to several vegetables (artichokes, asparagus, avocado, tomato…) and a handful of what I laughably grew up calling exotic fresh fruits (mango, pineapple, and, most incomprehensibly to me now…coconut).

Ironically, Mom was a huge baker. Every day after school, the aroma of chocolate chip cookies or chocolate peanut butter Rice Krispie bars guided my siblings and me home. Sometimes, there would even be homemade Mounds bars, packed full of chocolate, peanut butter, and…dried coconut.

I am almost embarrassed to admit it now, but I never tasted a fresh coconut until just a few months ago. My husband and his friends urged me to try it one day as we sat looking over the menu at a local Thai restaurant.

When my baby coconut came out, I looked inside of it. I sniffed, wrinkled up my nose, and stared with great interest as one of my dinner companions reached inside of his open coconut with a spoon, dug out some slimy white stuff, and slid it into his mouth.

“What was that?” I asked.

“Coconut,” he said.

“That was coconut? Why was it all wet and slimy?”

Our table shook with laughter as I reluctantly dove in for a tiny juicy bite. As it turns out, fresh coconut is naturally wet and slimy. The coconut that adorned the baked goods of my youth was merely the dried up version.

I’ve been eating (and drinking) fresh coconut on a regular basis now and I have to admit: It’s heavenly! How did I manage to live twenty-four years without it?