Martin Espada

Coca-Cola and Coco Frio

 On his first visit to Puerto Rico, island of family folklore, the fat boy wandered from table to t

able with his mouth open. At every table, some great-aunt would steer him with cool spotted

hands to a glass of Coca-Cola. One even sang to him, in all the English she could remember,

a Coca-Cola jingle from the forties. He drank obediently, though he was bored with this potion,

familiar from soda fountains in Brooklyn.

 Then, at a roadside stand off the beach, the fat boy opened his mouth to coco frío, a coconut

chilled, then scalped by a machete so that a straw could inhale the clear milk. The boy tilted

the green shell overhead and drooled coconut milk down his chin; suddenly, Puerto Rico was

not Coca-Cola or Brooklyn, and neither was he. 

For years afterward, the boy marveled at an island where the people drank Coca-Cola and

sang jingles from World War II in a language they did not speak, while so many coconuts

in the trees sagged heavy with milk, swollen and unsucked. 

Martin Espada, the author of the poem "Coca-Cola and Coco Frío", was born in Brooklyn New York. He is a Puerto Rican descendant. HI grandfather is from Puerto Rico and Espada is involved in civil right activism for Puerto Ricans in New York. He is a Nuyorican.

    A Nuyorican is a word that derived from New York and Puerto Rican. For immigrating to The States from Puerto Rico is relatively easy since it Puerto Ricans ironically owns an American passport due to to being colonized back in the 18th century.

On the premises that the fat boy refers to a Nuyorican, he may have been given insight of Puerto Rico

from his family initially before visiting there, which later contradicted with the Puerto Rico he

experienced. The first impression of the island was a disappointment. What he confronted were people

drinking beverages no different from what he drinks back in Brooklin. What he found most shocking

was a lady who sang him a Coca cola jingle in English which she can’t speak. It is plausible to say that he was embarrassed that the country he represented or the race he belonged to were practicing

mere American mimicry. Not practicing the traditional Pueto Rican culture he could be proud of. 

In the second paragraph he is amazed by what he sees. A boy drinking Coco frio. The view he wouldn’t ever expect in Brooklin. At this point it seems that there's hope for his crusade for something new. As a result, the boy finds himself enjoying this natural beverage. It wasn't until this point that he realized that he's in Puerto Rico. He realizes how different this place is, natural and beautiful. At this moment the boy is happy; he's enjoying his coco milk. Even though the drink will only last a few minutes, the sensation and the memories will always stay with him.

And in the third paragraph, he shares his thoughts on the possible outcomes of Puerto Rico. He is concerned that in the end, the people living or visiting there would enjoy drinking Coca Cola, which you can enjoy anywhere, and forget about the amazing “Coco Frios”, which is one of the unique features of the country.

The Vocabulary of Poetry

Irony: This poem indicates irony; the author describes the situation in Puerto Rico with a touch of irony, since it was so similar to that of the United States. The Puerto Rico he witnessed as a fat kid resembled Brooklyn, and by including irony, he wants the people to notice how the western culture could eat up the traditional cultures of various countries.

Metaphor: On line 21 it says  “suddenly, Puerto Rico was not Coca-Cola or Brooklyn, and neither was he”. Coca-Cola is used to symbolize the United States in general, and to emphasize how stimulating it was for “the fat boy” to drink the “Coco Frío”.

Metonymy: Throughout the poem, the word “Coca Cola” is used as a metonymy; it is used to represent the western culture itself. Based on his childhood experience, the author considers Coca Cola as an invader to Puerto Rico, which was more popular than the Coco Frio, the originally popular beverage there.