Strange subject, eh? Well, seeing as I have read about bananas in the news twice during the past week, I thought that they may make for an interesting research topic, as well as an informative blog article.
The first time that I read about everyone's favorite fruit (it is everyone's favorite fruit, but we will get to that in a minute) in the news was in relation to an article listing the top selling items at Walmart. I didn't know that bananas were the superstores number one selling product nationally. A quick search on Google, however, made me realize that the rest of the world apparently already did know, and I am falling behind in the quest for tidbits of useless knowledge.
But I bet most folks don't know about this banana fact: Just like humans, bananas are susceptible to wide-spread, population-eradicating epidemics. One such disease, called Banana Xanthomonas Wilt, or BXW for short, has been making its way across central Africa, killing entire plantations in its path. Scientists think that it originated in Ethiopia about 40 years ago. Today, BXW has reached at least four other central African nations.
"'Once this disease is in the field, that's an absolute loss because farmers cannot save anything," said Leena Tripathi, a plant biotechnologist at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture in Kampala, Uganda. "The economic consequences are quite high.'"(Bananas Get Pepper Power)
When you consider that some Africans eat an average of 3 lbs of bananas per day, you begin to understand the impact this disease can have on already poverty stricken populations. The average American, to contrast, consumes about 25 lbs worth of bananas per year. Bananas are our favorite fruit, but they are not our primary source of nutrients, like they are in many impoverished African communities. (In case you were curious like me, if a person consumes 3 lbs of bananas a day, that equates to 1,095 lbs of bananas annually. That is a LOT of bananas)
Help has come from a most unlikely source: the green pepper. Research being conducted at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture in Kampala, Uganda, seems to show that green pepper genes are able to kill any BXW bacteria that infect banana cells, effectively stopping the spread of the disease. Now, I know that there is much debate surrounding the consumption of genetically altered agriculture products, but in this particular case, the benefits seem to far outweigh any negative consequences.
The next banana topic: Banana Bread! Anyone looking for a good way to spice up your favorite recipe should try adding some chocolate chips next time. I read a recipe that suggested using them instead of walnuts so as to remain acceptable to the no-nut policies at most schools. I adopted this idea, and now sometimes use 1/4 cup walnuts and 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips. I can't even begin to tell you how much I love it!
Finally, I would like to share another of my favorite, (and healthier) banana snack ideas. I absolutely love taking a Kellogg's breakfast shake (chocolate or vanilla) and slicing a banana into it. Let it sit just 2 minutes, then when you eat the slices out, it tastes almost like fondue! It reminds me of the afternoon snack of bananas with sugar and milk my mom used to make, or the Thai desert of bananas in coconut milk. After I do my exercise routine, it is very refreshing and refueling.
That's it for now, but I will keep my eye out for more banana information. I truly hope you enjoyed reading about bananas as much as I liked writing about them!
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Update: 4:39 am
I couldn't resist seeing if I could find anymore banana facts worthy of writing about. To my surprise, it took me less than ten minutes to find one.
New Banana Fact: As a banana ripens, it's peel glows blue under a black light.
Or, to put it more scientifically:
"As the banana ripens, the chlorophyll begins to break down — a process called catabolism — and the resulting products are concentrated in the banana peel. Under ultraviolet light, more commonly known as black light, these breakdown products fluoresce, or glow, blue." (Blue Bananas Surprise Scientists)
The fact that it took someone until 2008 to publish these findings can have many implications. I think someone should conduct a research project to determine why this incredible phenomenon has gone unstudied, and unannotated in the scientific journals, by so many for so long.
Furthermore, I just may have to send my husband to the closet to find our old black light from college. Blue bananas sound groovy! I wonder what other fruits might glow funky colors.....
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I don't believe in coincidences. Everything happens for a reason. I wrote this banana post last night and early this morning. This evening, my husband and I went out to dinner. It was totally spur-of-the-moment. He got home late, and neither of us felt like cooking. (I had baked banana bread after my nap, and couldn't face another load of dishes).
So we went to a restaurant that we hadn't been to since we were dating back in college. Looking at the menu, I couldn't decide between two items: Macadamia Crusted Halibut (the restaurant's signature dish) or Banana Crusted Tilapia.
Seeing the unique way the universe seems to make seemingly unrelated things suddenly connect, I trusted my instincts and went with the Tilapia.
Words can't begin to express how pleased I was with my decision. Each bite was like eating the the sweetest banana bread wrapped around some of the most succulent white fish I have ever tasted. Even in Hawaii, I didn't taste anything that compared to this masterfully created delicacy. I can't wait to go back.
Here's the link to the restaurant, should any of you happen to live in the Chicago burbs.
(Link is broken atm)
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9/19
Sadly, the link isn't broken. The Key Wester fell victim to the bad economy, coupled with high fish prices out of the Gulf. You can read about the closure here:
Closing Key Wester was 'a tough decision'
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10/29
2,060 diamonds swallowed in smuggling attempt (MSNBC, 10/28/2010)
After reading the above linked headline, you might be wondering what the associated story could possibly have to do with bananas. Well, after a Sri Lankan thief swallowed over 2,000 diamonds, wrapped in condoms, police had to help get them out of his stomach somehow.
"Shakif was given bananas to eat. The diamonds were then collected."
Yet another use for bananas I never could have imagined. I would hate to have been the collector!
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