Survivalists In Training

Les Stroud.

Bear Grylls.

Mykel and Ruth Hawke.

The Discovery Channel has given us a plethora of survivalist programming.

The Boy has found his calling. He wants to go on adventures into the wild. He wants to build fires, construct shelters, hunt and forage for food, and be an all around outdoors badass.

The Girl plays along. But if you ask her about going into the wilderness, she opts to stay home and go to The Galleria.

Since survival fever hit our home, I've watched many of these shows. Multiple times.

I haven't seen one yet that doesn't have the wilderness expert stuck in the tropics, forced to get their precious fluids from a coconut.

Since then, the need for us to purchase our own coconut has been great. A coconut cost all of 99¢ at HEB. I can spare a dollar for survival prep.

I'd never opened a coconut. Not a problem since the advent of Google and You Tube.

I soon realized that my knife wasn't nearly strong enough, so we gathered the necessary supplies and headed outside...prepared to brave the unknown dangers of the driveway.

We used a nail to make holes in the coconut and drained the water.

There was a surprising amount of water in that little guy.

I'm sure a fresh coconut would have even more.

The Girl shocked me, and was first to take a sip.

After draining the water, it was time to crack the coconut open.

We wrapped it in a towel and used a hammer to smash it open.

It took about 5 good hits.

The Offspring wanted to save this for a cup.

Of course.

We broke it into smaller pieces so we could cut out the meat.

I asked them what it tasted like...

The Girl said it tasted like eggs.

The Boy determined it to taste like an onion-y watermelon.

An onion-y watermelon, huh?

And he ate it. Not all of it, but more than a nibble. He is convinced that eating with his new pocket knife makes food taste better.

I'll remember that the next time I make a dish with mushrooms or kale.

When the coconut feast was over, The Offspring ran off to collect firewood.

It was a lovely day.

In a wilderness-survival sort of way.