This is yet another happy accident, as the separate display case was just in the aisle, kind of in my way, even. But it made up for this when I got another blog post topic, without even having to actually search for one. Anyway, today's post is about a coconut water from the Mojo brand, made by the folks at the EQUATOR Beverage Company, out of Jersey City, NJ. Although the coconuts were clearly not grown this far north--they were cultivated in Vietnam.
This was also yet another in a long line of companies that apparently don't want to discuss their staff or history much at all. So let's start with the official company website. EQUATOR Beverage Co. (yes, they evidently left the caps lock on while spelling the first word in the company title) "specializes in developing, producing, distributing, and marketing new beverage products." The types of beverages in question include several kinds of Mojo energy sparkling drinks (with flavors such as citrus, blood orange, mango, and pink grapefruit), sparkling coconut waters (again, with options flavored with the same fruit as for the previous kind), regular water called "EQ wtr" (from a source in Saratoga, NY), regular coconut waters, and coconut waters mixed with tequila. The company also is quite proud that its products lack GMOs, are organic, use eco-friendly packaging (i.e. recyclable), and are made using renewable and eco-friendly plant-based ingredients. The coconut water I tried also listed all of the benefits of coconut water, such as the electrolytes, vitamins, and hydration. And also that these drinks lack fat, cholesterol, gluten, preservatives, and sugar alcohols, and are suitable for those on keto, paleo, vegan, and low carb diets. Readers with good memories may recall that I went into the alleged merits of coconut water in my post on February 28, 2022, which was about another American/Vietnamese coconut water, from Goya. Some people exaggerate the benefits of coconut water--consult that post for more details. Also, the energy sparkling drinks are listed as being targeted toward female consumers. But I didn't see how they were, or why women would prefer this beverage more than men. Moving on, other business websites filled in a few other details. EQUATOR began in 2007, and the CEO/Chairman is listed as being Glenn Simpson, and the Corporate Controller is a Ms. Diane Cudia. Creepily, one of the websites listed Simpson's age and salary. Which I won't reproduce here, since it seems intrusive.
Mojo coconut water: The odor was coconut-y, not shockingly. The liquid itself looked like slightly cloudy water. No coconut chunks were present, though. The taste was slightly sweet. It wasn't as good as some of the other coconut waters I've had, which had stronger tastes. Also, I actually enjoy the pieces of coconut, which this one lacked. So, it was rather like the Goya kind--okay, but not one of the better examples of this drink. I wish I could remember the brands I preferred--maybe I'll see them again, and then re-edit this post. Coconut water is definitely better for you than most soft drinks, so this isn't a bad choice if you want to drink a little healthier. But it wasn't dazzling or anything.
I got to wondering a bit about the derivation of the word "mojo," since this was the brand name of the product I just discussed. Online sources claim it's originally from a Gullah word "moco," which means "magic." (Gullah was a Creole language spoken by African Americans.) Others claim it's from "moco'o," which means "shaman" or "medicine man" in the African language Fulani. Whatever the original source, by the 1920's or so it was used in African American communities to refer to an object used for magic. It was a flannel bag which had one or more magical items in it. This was called a "mojo bag," or "juju bag," or "gris-gris bag," or many others. The word got a cultural boost when Muddy Waters' 1957 version of a Preston "Red" Foster song, "Got My Mojo Working" became a big hit. It was popularly used by jazz and blues musicians. Gradually the word's meaning expanded to also being a term for sexuality or virility. Some other folks were introduced to the word from its use in The Doors' song "L.A. Woman," (1971), wherein singer Jim Morrison sings "Mr. Mojo Risin'" several times. (Later he revealed to his bandmates that this phrase was an anagram of the letters of his name.) Finally, "mojo" is also a Spanish word, with a much different meaning. It refers to a "sauce," or "marinade," or "stew."
I was particularly interested in the mojo bag information because I encountered a similar magical item on one of my cemetery excavation jobs. This was mentioned in my post on October 24, 2015, as well as my contribution to the recent book "Death's Garden Revisited." Specifically, the object was a bottle filled with nails, called a "witch's bottle." It was used to break up a romantic relationship, so the sorcerer or witch could then steal the person they wanted. Aside from nails, the witch also would sometimes put in bodily substances of the target couple, such as menstrual blood, urine, or feces, for that more personalized magical touch. Often the bottle was secretly hidden on the target's property--either in their house, or at least near it. Why the bottle we found was in a grave was more puzzling--some witch's thought grave dirt had powers, so maybe that was part of it?
Just for fun I played Jim Morrison's anagram game and came up with phrases and names from the letters in my name. (I had to write the letters on paper, and then cut them out and re-arrange them on my desk, to keep track of each one.) Here are some:
Daniel Plusafts
Neal DiFastplus
Alan Stupid Self
US Fist Pale Land
Lent Fail--Pus Sad
All Fit Nude Asps
Stupid as Fallen
Dull as Penis Fat
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