How to open a coconut

One of the coolest things I learned in my time in Kenya was how to crack open a coconut.

Since returning to American soil, I have used this method dozens of times when cooking authentic Swahili dishes; it also impresses the natives.

The problem is, I can't remember who taught me the trick. I have this idea that it was one of my Lamu neighbors, but it could have also been one of my fellow teachers. At any rate, here's how I do it:

1. Using some kind of sharp instrument — in Kenya, it was the leather awl on my Swiss Army knife — I punch in one of the coconut's three eyes and then drain out any liquid, catching it in a bowl or pan (or sufuria, for you Swahili-speakers).

2. Next, I hold the coconut in my right hand and position my index finger near the hole. I then blow into the hole, quickly covering it with my finger after I've filled it with air.

3. I then strike the bottom of the coconut sharply on a hard surface, usually either concrete or brick, and never in a place where I wouldn't want to leave a mark (such as a countertop, for instance, which I have done and caught all sorts of hell for it).

4. If I've struck it correctly, the coconut pops right in half on the first try.

Now comes the hard part: scraping out all the meat. But that is a matter for another day.