Everyone who thought bananas were this wonderful and inexpensive food that we stumbled onto here in the States – you were wrong. Very wrong.
At least that's what Dan Koeppel said in the New York Times this week. His OP-ED piece, "Yes, We Will Have No Bananas," is currently the most emailed article at nytimes.com. According to this extremely interesting essay, bananas are more exotic than we realize and shouldn't be so cheap. Fruit stands on the streets of Manhattan typically sell the yummy yellow-skinned fruit at 3 or 4 for a buck, which is a great deal by New York standards.
There are various reasons, Koeppel writes, why bananas have become such a staple in American households, despite the fact that they are not grown locally and were "virtually unknown" in the United States until the late 19th century. He refers to "banana barons" who did everything from creating jingles (to paying off doctors "to convince mothers that bananas were good for children." That's not to say that bananas aren't healthy, just that we didn't discover this miracle food by accident.
It gets political too, of course, with American business interests trumping any concern for human rights: "Over and over, banana companies, aided by the American military, intervened whenever there was a chance that any 'banana republic' might end its cooperation."
There's more, and it's worth reading Koeppel's OP-ED contribution if you have the time. If not, I'll leave you with this: apparently there is a fungus that could cause a banana shortage and a huge jump in banana prices. No more 3 for a buck snacks for you and your kids. I wonder what would take its place.
Now, just for fun, here are some banana-themed YouTube vids:
- The original Chiquita Banana commercial; it feels a bit like an infomercial after reading the Times article.
- A newer Chiquita Banana ad, also touting banana-related health benefits.
- The Swedish Chef Making Banana Split from The Muppet Show. Just because.
image: bananas.co.uk
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