Level 1: It Forgot to Hide

Copra Young Thai Coconut Meat. Yes. The coconut is hiding inside the coconut. Strong opening strategy, champ.

This is the tender flesh of young Thai Nam Hom coconuts, hand-scooped and frozen. Young coconut meat is soft and almost jelly-like, quite different from the firm white flesh of a mature coconut. Think delicate, creamy bites instead of something that gives your molars a project.

Thaw it in the fridge, then tuck the pieces into a bowl with mango and a squeeze of lime. Sweet, soft coconut against bright fruit makes a very good afternoon snack. No hammer. No screwdriver. No YouTube tutorial paused at “now carefully strike.”

One found. Our fugitive is standing behind a curtain with both feet showing.

Level 2: Costume Changes

Thai Kitchen Unsweetened Coconut Milk and Ennio Organic Virgin Coconut Oil. A carton and a jar. Coconut went to the costume shop and selected “pantry.”

Stir a splash of the coconut milk into tomato soup for a silky finish, or simmer it with ginger and vegetables. The gentle coconut richness makes a nice partner for ginger's bite. Suddenly that ordinary bowl deserves a spoon you didn't get with takeout.

For the oil, try a little in the pan when you sauté ginger for rice or vegetables. Coconut oil firms up when cool and turns liquid when warm. Kind of like some people we know… right, Susan?

Still, changing your physical state to avoid detection feels excessive. Waldo managed with just one shirt for decades.

Three found. Time to leave the obvious aisle.

Level 3: Something Fishy

Found the Patagonia Provisions Sardines in Coconut Curry? There it is, traveling with a school of fish. Excellent cover. Terrible legroom.

Coconut milk makes the curry sauce creamy around the rich sardines, with warming spices and little pieces of potato and bell pepper turning the tin into something much closer to dinner. Savory fish, mellow coconut, a little heat: this is a much better arrangement than the phrase “fish and fruit” initially suggests.

Gently warm the contents in a saucepan and spoon everything over hot rice. Keep the sauce; the rice wants it. A squeeze of lime at the end brings a bright edge to all that richness.

Four found. We caught a coconut attempting to leave town in a sardine tin. On Castro Street, this barely qualifies as unusual parking.

Level 4: The Chocolate Alibi

Simple Mills Cocoa Blast Sweet Mmms, over on the right. Those little chocolatey bites contain coconut sugar, coconut oil, AND coconut milk. Three disguises in one box. That's a costume department.

The sugar is the sneakiest part. Coconut sugar comes from the sap of the coconut palm's flower stalks. You were looking for a hairy bowling ball. You needed to interview the flowers.

These are light, crisp cocoa bites, lovely beside coffee or crumbled over ice cream. A little crunch, a little chocolate, and an entire coconut reunion taking place without anyone bringing a folding chair.

Five products found. Final level cleared. Take a victory lap down Castro Street and stop into Ava's for your favorite discovery.

If you hear rustling near the grapefruit, give him a minute. He's changing into a banana suit.