fattypatties

BANANAS

I found out the other day that the only reason people were taught to store bananas at room temperature was because Chiquita Banana told them so in the 40s:

"I'm Chiquita Banana and I've come to say, Bananas have to ripen in a certain way... Bananas like the climate of the very very tropical equator, So you should never put bananas in the refrigerator."

It was a marketing scheme. Bananas are shipped and always have been shipped via refridgerated cargo. Bananas ripen faster at room temperature. Faster riping = buying more.

Did you know that Kellogg's started the rumour about breakfast being the most important meal of the day? At least that's what I heard once. But think about it, most people throughout history had to go out and pick or kill their breakfast before eating it. Farmers eat after the morning chores are done and those chores often include collecting the eggs and milk that were used in breakfast.

I stopped worrying about "getting a good breakfast" and relied upon my own internal signals long ago. I frequently miss breakfast (especially if I wake up with a great idea and can't let it go), but I can't imagine putting bananas in the fridge ever. I learned this little fact about three weeks ago and I still can't bring myself to put my bananas in the fridge.

I just think they would taste weird if they were cold.

But the question is: do I like room temperature bananas because of my own tastes or because I was taught to do so by market forces?

Such a question, of course, remains unanswerable.

That is why it is a good time to take a day off from shopping.