Best Coconuts in the World !

The best coconuts in the world are not in Brazil, not in the Maldives and certainly not on Miss Pamela Anderson. [OK, maybe she has the best coconuts in the world, but THOSE are another kind of coconuts. Plastic ones].

The best coconuts in the world (including aspects of size, taste and shape), or at least in my world, are found in Jalan Desa Utama, Taman Desa, but they are for drinking not for playing !!

Anyway, I happened to be walking home on a lonely stretch of road on a Saturday afternoon on a hot day with hellish temperatures. To cut things short, heat + haze = deadly thirst. I remember seeing the dirt rising from the ground and the smell of burning rubber...or was that a Mat Rempit ?

And suddenly, I saw a flash of mirage.....an oasis of coconuts !

Ok, so it wasn't an oasis of coconuts. But there were many....all packed at the back of a van, parked on the side of the road. If only I had money in my pockets....but I only had 2 measly ringgit. [Having been robbed twice before in broad daylight, I have refrained from carrying too much cash in my pockets. Ten-dollahs tops]

So, I proceeded to bargain with the coconut seller in sheer desperation.

Me: Oi, Uncle ! How much one coconut, ah ?

Uncle: Sam kau bun (Cantonese for three-fifty)

Me: Got two-dollahs only...but so, so, so....thirsty.....(dramatically grabbing my throat)

Uncle: Neveh-mind, can pay me back tomorrow-lah

What a life saver ! Not only did he agree to loan me some money, he expertly started to attack the biggest coconut with his crude cleaver, so that within a minute I could access its sweet flesh and thirst-quenching juice.

Meet Mr. Leng Chai ! [Not his real name in case you're from the local tax authorities]

Mr. Leng Chai has been in the coconut business for more than 15 years. Starting out as a humble stall Off Klang Road, KL.....he has moved to Jalan Desa Utama, Taman Desa quite recently. No doubt, being an honest man and a hard worker, he has been able to support his three children through college by his noble profession of relieving poor, thirsty hikers like me. From motorists to rich businessmen driving luxury cars, his business was simply thriving. Minimum waiting period: 5 - 8 minutes per coconut, unless you were obviously dying of dehydration and sun stroke like me.

Customers from all walks of life were flocking to his stall on this hot day....and the cleaver never rested.

I handled my own coconut carefully, slowly placing it on a table so as not to spill the juice. It looked simply inviting.

I turned the straw towards me, and sucked its sweet juice, like there was no tomorrow....

...and scoop out its succulent white flesh.

Alternatively, you could do these two things at the same time. Spoon on the right hand to scoop out the flesh, straw in your mouth to drink the juice...and a cup of ice cream on the side.

After 15 years, his stall has expanded to include a couple of plastic tables and chairs set below some shady trees beside a dirt road. His stock of coconuts were kept behind his makeshift van. CAPEX was a totally foreign word to him. Nevertheless, he insists he has a secret mantra to a successful business: What goes better with coconut juice on a hot day than a happy, smiling face ? Apparently, he doesn't let anything drive him nuts.