The Banana Boat People

The banana has been associated with many different monologues, names and even social taunts. As a child growing up I saw this tree growing in my own back yard and never gave it a second thought; about it's significance or even it's value or importance. I just ate the banana when it was ripe. The banana has been referred too as the fig by many locals in some tropical Islands. In my travels I realized that the banana tree would be associated to people who migrated to the USA from a small Island or a tropical region. The irony however was the assumption that tropical migrants/or people who traveled to the USA; got here on a banana boat (Funny isn't it ?) 

Suddenly this fruit would find it's significance in the world in the strangest of ways.  "The banana boat people" as some would say was a sort of strange phenomenon for me; because they somehow was meant to be unique and worthy of mentioning I suppose. I questioned, "What was so funny about eating banana's?  Was it the people or was it the boat thing that made it interesting?"  Some have even made a fortune from using the words Banana Boat, because there is something all the more rich about those banana boat people. It's amazing how a simple thing could find itself in the mainstream of success and social history without even deciding too.

Another crazy thing was that the banana was the foods that monkeys or wild things ate; really? Remember when Jane say's to Tarzan, "I'm still a virgin" and proceeded to eat a banana ever so seductively? That must have been the reason why to the top of his lungs Tarzan gave the loudest dissertation of excitement the jungle had ever heard. Waking all wild things for centuries to come. So how did the banana get associated to a boat and a people? Beats me!!

On the real side though; banana's are an awesome source of potassium and really good for human nutrition. The tree that bears the fruit is actually considered an herb tree, because it bares a healing fruit, which can be eaten green or ripe. In it's green state many locals would boil the green banana's in hot water in an iron pot on an outside fire; and often the water would be drunken as a sort of medicinal elixir; the olden folks would say that the nutrients are in the green portion or the skin and it works magic for iron, energy and longevity. 

Before the banana is ripe it can be eaten in many different ways; cooked of-course. A banana salad is an awesome way to enjoy this fruit with a cool glass of lemonade on a hot day. I will tell you how to make it on another post; as well as other ways to enjoy the banana before it is ripe. 


So what do banana's cost these days?  I imagine an average of 26 - 29 cents a pound for banana's; for just about four or five single banana's (in what would be a hand of banana's). At this point; it is well worth mentioning an old woman's parable " You'll never miss the water till the well runs dry." That's another story to tell later on.  Well to tell you the truth I can't tell you the last time a banana tasted like a banana to me really. it's so different now from when I was a child.  When I wasted the luxury of having banana tree's close by and at hand; now I long for that authentic taste of an untainted non-gassed up for ripening and preservation banana.  Non-the-less there are organic banana farmers who ensure that the best and richest taste of the banana can still reach your palettes. While still others determine to allow the banana to ripen on its own after it is cut green to maintain the freshest taste. 
Sure wish the banana boat people could bring me a bunch.:-)