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BANANAS
A banana is a banana is a banana. In New York there is basically one
style of banana - long and firm, with a green or, if ripe, a yellow skin.
The bigger the banana the better. Produce stores even name themselves the
"Big Banana." Bananas come wrapped in plastic, in bunches or
4 or 6. Although supermarkets discourage the practice, many shoppers break
open bags to buy a smaller quantity. That leaves loose bananas lying on
the shelves of the produce section. These bananas rarely get sold. Most
shoppers abhor bananas with brown spots and won't buy them either. Hence
there is a lot or waste. Depending on the store, bananas can cost anywhere
from 69 cents per pound up to $ 1.49 per pound. Since the bananas are large,
three bananas generally weigh about one pound. A common problem with the
American banana is the tine it takes to ripen at home. Since Americans
like a nice, firm clean-looking banana, they are picked before they and
might take 3 or 4 days to ripen at home. Who can wait that long to eat
a banana?
In Brazil, an American can't tell a banana by it's cover. Bananas that
probably wouldn't be touched by a New York shopper are gleefully devoured
in Brazil. Banana skins that show brown spots ate favored, not rejected.
At the open market, I counted at least five different kinds of bananas.
Bananas are sold in bunches or 10 or 12 and are ready to eat. What's more
they are cheap. Few people even ask to break a bunch. The maτπ is short
and fat and sweet. In America, this banana would undoubtedly get sent back
to the wholesaler. Beneath the darkened skin1 one finds a smooth, silky
taste, not an overly ripe sweet one. The nanica is a big, heavy banana,
much like the kind favored by Americans. The prata is the sweetest banana,
not as short or as fat as The maτπ, but delicious to eat. The ouro, or
golden banana, is very small and sweet. The da terra resembles the plantain
that is sold in New York. It is very big and is only eaten after being
cooked. Ah! The sweet taste of fried bananas. I think I'll peel a banana
now.
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