Coconut is good. Seriously, I’ve never met a coconut item I didn’t like. I make homemade coconut oil-and-honey moisturizing masks, I use coconut hair products, and I’ve spent a lifetime happily consuming foods made of coconuts without a second thought.
Is coconut actually good?
Let’s debate.
Imagine my joy when I learned about the New York Times’ column where they interviewed 2020 presidential candidates about their Halloween candy preferences and Sen. Elizabeth Warren announced her favorite candy is Mounds, a delightful coconut filling coated in dark chocolate. Turns out what I perceived to be a non-offensive preference (compared to something awful, like CANDY CORN) was actually quite controversial in the office — my colleague Matt Ellentuck hit me with a “her candy choices suck” Slack message.
So I asked my coworkers to briefly explain their like or dislike of coconuts, whether as candy or anything else. Here’s what we said:
Pro-coconuts
“When I eat it, I like the way it tastes.”
— Seth Rosenthal
“I like coconut in stuff. Macaroons are great! I prefer Almond Joy over Mounds but both are good! Holy crap samoas! It can even do savory, like in a nice coconut curry. I don’t think taking a big chomp out of a coconut like it’s an apple sounds appealing, but otherwise coconuts are a rock solid fruit. Or nut. Or whatever.”
— Louis Bien
“I like coconut rum. Kenny Chesney’s Blue Chair Bay is incredible if I’m being honest.”
— Whitney Medworth
“Coconut in smoothies, samoas, almond joys, mounds, coconut shrimp, coconut ice cream — you name it, I’ll eat it. Coconut products are creamy, smell good and are super versatile, because they’re vegan and a dairy alternative. Plus, when I can’t stomach plain water after a workout or hangover, coconut water and its electrolytes are there for me like a dear ol’ friend.”
— me
“Coconut is a delightfully versatile addition to any homemade treat. Shredded coconut goes well with energy bars and coconut flakes liven up even the most pedestrian of oatmeals. Coconut water, however, is worse than kombucha.”
— Paul Flannery
“Not liking Mounds is the opinion of a child.”
— Anonymous SB Nation staffer
Anti-coconuts
“Coconut is good in piña coladas, and that’s it. I don’t like Almond Joy, Mounds, Bounty, or Snow Balls on the candy side of things. I tried coconut milk and the coconut flavor is not good for my smoothies. So, it’s piña coladas or bust.”
— David Fucillo
“The only thing worse than Almond Joys are Mounds because there aren’t even almonds there to distract you from how bad of a time you’re having. I don’t hate coconut as an idea or an actual thing (piña coladas, they’re great!), but Mounds are the candy you see in the bowl at the front desk of a doctor’s office and think, ‘nah, not worth it.’”
— Caroline Darney
“Coconut is simply not good. Aside from this obvious fact, it has disappointed me over and over again because IT’S ALWAYS THE FREAKING MYSTERY FLAVOR. Dum Dum mystery flavor? Guess what it’s coconut. Air Heads mystery flavor? Hmm, maybe it’s something different this time ... nope! Coconuts. You wonder why they have to hide what flavor it is for people to buy it ...”
— Matt Ellentuck
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