Let’s talk about piña coladas, the sweet and tropical concoction of pineapple and coconut. Piña coladas are my favorite mocktail, despite being mildly allergic to pineapple.
The last time I was able to get my hands on one of these sweet treats was during last year’s Lentil Fest. I paid $20 but got an entire hollowed out pineapple filled to the top with the sweet and creamy treat.
That was the last time I got to have my favorite treat, the last time until tonight, that is. Having dreamed about that piña colada for months, tonight was the night my girlfriend and I set out to make our own.
Initially, we were going to follow a recipe, but looking at the little Magic Bullet we had instead of a full-fledged blender, we decided to go a different route. It is a route many of us who used to watch our moms in the kitchen are probably all too familiar with: the eyeball method.
We ended up only making one batch, with the plan being to make the rest in the morning to take to a Super Bowl party (Go Hawks!). Though not perfect, this batch was good, and we believe we worked out the kinks.
Our ingredients were simple. Canned pineapple, which we drained and froze, pineapple juice, cream of coconut and brown sugar. I am not providing measurements because that is not in the spirit of the eyeball method.
The thing that inspired this little adventure was my rediscovery of Rupert Holmes’ “Escape,” which marries a complex narrative to the upbeat and catchy melodies of a song you just cannot get out of your head.
The song is so catchy, a lot of people probably do not even pay attention to the lyrics, but they should. It is not just about living in the moment and being care-free. It is a statement about communication and rediscovering love.
The narrative begins with a man who has grown bored with his lady. While he lies in bed beside her, he comes across a personal ad in the paper, which calls for a man who likes, among other things, piña coladas.
Prepared to “escape” his lady, he responds to the ad to arrange a meeting with this mystery woman. The next day, the man goes to a bar to meet up with her.
The man gets there first, and when she arrives, he immediately recognizes her as his lady, who awes in disappointment when she too realizes who he is.
Had the narrative ended right there, it would have been a terrible story – but the song goes on, allowing for a bittersweet conclusion where both realize they already had what they were looking for.
I will be honest, for the longest time, I hated this song for its narrative. However, recently, somebody pointed out the bittersweet beauty to it, and I have to say, I like the narrative a lot more.
The thing is, neither of them were motivated by malice or a desire for instant gratification. Both felt alone and burnt out. It was not lust that motivated them, they were motivated by a longing for something they had lost: connection.
When both went out looking for that connection, they found it, realizing the person they were looking for was beside them the entire time. They were not missing the right person, they were simply missing the communication.
None of that is to justify or romanticize cheating. Regardless of how alone you may feel, cheating is never the answer. Either you reach the point where the relationship needs to end, or you realize you and your partner simply need to communicate.
That is just the thing. The song is not celebrating infidelity or a lack of communication, like many critics suggest. The song is about the importance of communication, acting as a cautionary tale for couples.
In verse three, the male protagonist even admits he “never knew” all these things about her that he learned in her personal ad, ultimately realizing she is the lady he has been looking for all along.
The things the man learns about her seem to be of little significance, and yet, they are the very things she ultimately looks for in a companion – things he could only learn through communication, something the couple had lost or yet to discover.
