cont. from P 1    Metric Simplicity

I am aware that in the US metric has been introduced more than 23 years ago on a voluntary basis and really only recently taught in school, but very tongue in cheek.  And it is no wonder. 

1 tblsp. fresh equals about 1 tsp. ground spices. + - 12 whole cloves equals 1/4 tsp. ground cloves.

For the western world, it is an exotic fruit, encountered usually grated and sold in plastic bags or whole in the exotic  section of better fruit and vegetable shops.  Consumers wonder what to do with the whole, very hard nut or how to open it. 

In America, the grated white meat is sweetened usually with glucose and hence is moister.  In Europe, grated coconut is grated finer and is sold desiccated and unsweetened.  We in the west commonly use it for baking, desserts and beverages.

In all tropical regions, the coconut is a plant without any practical waste.  The natural milk ferments within hours, producing a kind of wine, or distilled, the liquor Arrak. The meat and milk is used in cooking as well as for sweets.

The root has a narcotic effect when chewed, the core and central part is edible and the terminal buds are considered a delicacy.  Woven objects are made from the fronds and rope from the fibre of the bark and trees.  Walls and floor coverings are still common today, something I recall from a trip to Indonesia and Bali.  The list is long.

But by far, the most astounding information I discovered was its use as a plasma replacement. 

It was the desperation of World War II and the acute need for plasma that lead to the discovery that the liquid inside young coconuts can be used as a substitute for blood plasma.

The Indonesian Navy still uses the precious liquid, harvesting from nearby islands when needed. The young coconut juice is sterile and contains the minerals and glucose necessary for intravenous purposes.