I’m watching my heart health, so the best readily available source of potassium for me is bananas. They’re likeable by nearly everybody and are easy to find in the grocer’s. At 450 milligrams per medium banana, the average human can start to meet part of their daily 4700 mgs by grabbing one with their morning cereal. I usually grab two a day.
Bananas have a rather interesting history, and an uncertain future. The journey starts with their origins being farmed by what is now known as Chiquita with its trademarked lady on their labels (which, by the way, are applied to bunches of bananas by hand). Before they were Chiquita, the company went by the rather dull-named United Fruit Co. There were issues with how their employees were handled, and finally the workers staged a strike over conditions. Novels such as Marquez’ One Hundred Years of Solitude told in part the story of the innumerable deaths resulting from the revolt back in 1928 Columbia, when military suppression caused many workers to lose their lives. Of course the company has long been restructured into a better place to work and, through mergers and other practices, now operates in 70 countries. They have expanded into other food products such as Fresh Express salads.
Oh, and Fyffe bananas? They’re also part of Chiquita. Dole and DelMonte are still separate companies who provide bananas to the American market.
The original crop we may have grown up with was a variety called the Gros Michel, but that type succumbed to disease, so the ones we see on market shelves today are likely Cavendish, which is more hardy and resistant. There is a fear of a black rotting disease taking out these as well, creating the possibility of fewer crops and exportation in the near future.
The other alternative is ridiculous pricing. They’re imported already, so if disease takes out most of the crops, there may be chaos in our kitchens. Imagine no banana splits at the ice cream shop.
I pick up bananas weekly, but only twice in my life have I mistaken plantains for bananas. In my defense the last time somebody threw them in with the others, I didn’t stop to think that the bunch I picked up was unusually green. They blended in so well with their sweet counterparts. It was their amazingly slow ripening at home that truly tipped me off. I froze them, sliced, and plan to fry them sometime soon.
Over the years that I’ve picked bananas, I’ve been amused by how we decide which to buy. They come in bunches of six to ten, or loose singles and pairs may crop up in a bin near the tiers of yellow inhuman hand-like fruits pointed in your direction. Sometimes they hang by hooks and are a bit difficult to remove, especially if they’re wrapped in tape to prevent separation. If they’re not abundant in the produce aisle, sometimes they’re hanging by the cereal boxes awaiting a hook-up with the wheaty bits going into your bowl of milk. They’re also difficult to bag because of their unique shapes. They tend to rock in the bottom of the bag or fall out the top.
Lately it’s tough to find bananas that don’t have hidden soft spots or bruises. Blame poor handling, or somebody dropping them and putting them back with a “who me?” attitude. No matter. When they’re too soft, they go into banana bread.
I also hear that they are interesting to view under florescent light.
At least for now, they’re readily available, which makes my heart sing.
And proves I’m not bananas.
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