Sugar Cane and Machetes

Yesterday I was rewarded for my scholarly dedication with the gift of a sugarcane stalk! Whew what an adventure. It looks like bamboo, a long, extremely hard, stick. I threw it around a little, showing it off to anyone who would listen and then laid it down on the chopping block. I pulled out my little pairing knife and decided that that was no where near what I needed for this project. I needed a samurai sword. After consulting Youtube I found out that most people just rip off the tough carcass with their teeth- um yikes. I put all of my energy into skinning this stalk. Sugary pieces of fiber were flying in every direction and I was sweating trying to get every inch of its protective later stripped off. BAM I was ready to try this foreign delicacy. I expected an overwhelmingly sweet bust of sugary goodness. I popped a piece into my mouth and started to chew. My mouth filled with a sticky sweet liquid. It was like coconut water, infused with simple syrup. Very watery, and simply sweet. I didn't like it at first, but as i kept sucking I changed my mind. Whoa- mind blown.