Bananapocalypse II: Electric Boogaloo

[Dannyalcatraz]

Bananas are being struck hard by a fungal epidemic for the second time in modern history. I've been aware of this problem with bananas in particular- and with monoculture in general- for many years, so it is nice to see it getting some play in the mainstream news.


http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/22/africa/banana-panama-disease/index.html

See also:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gros_Michel_banana

Partially in personal prep for this reality, and also to show growers & retailers that other cultivars can be profitable, I have been trying out some of the more exotic banana types found in ethnic markets.

Verdict so far: those I've tried DO taste a little different, have different textures, different sizes, etc., but they're still (mostly) sweet & banana-y enough for me.

 

[Umbran]

Poor bananas.

 

[Tonguez]

I like red bananas, they're sweeter than cavendish, but unfortunately not easy to get.

I've had a pink banana and cooked plantain

I would love to see more varieties sold in supermarkets so maybe this fungus will spur the growers to diversify

 

[Scott DeWar]

there has always been a certain a-peel about bananas.

 

[Homicidal_Squirrel]

I would love to see more varieties sold in supermarkets so maybe this fungus will spur the growers to diversify

I doubt it. The destruction of the Gros Michel didn't get growers to diversify, why would this? They'll just find some other cheap banana variety, and they'll do the same exact thing again.

 

[Dioltach]

This emergency calls for a superhero!

 

[Kramodlog]

[video=youtube;IgPBsEkWHCs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgPBsEkWHCs[/video]

I'll let you guess the extra banana he gets in the adult version. Cause Japan.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

2 thoughts inspired by those commercials:

1) The boss in that business pitch looks suspiciously like Heihachi from Tekken.

2) That character needs to be in a Godzilla movie.

 

[Tonguez]

I doubt it. The destruction of the Gros Michel didn't get growers to diversify, why would this? They'll just find some other cheap banana variety, and they'll do the same exact thing again.

you're probably right, but it would be nice to think that the banana industry could learn something after two disasters.

Also if iirc the yellow alternatives to the Cavendish are either small varieties (like lady fingers, which are commerically available) or take longer to ripen. Having no perfect alternative to Cavendish might get the companies to diversify more...

 

[Homicidal_Squirrel]

you're probably right, but it would be nice to think that the banana industry could learn something after two disasters.

It would be nice, but extremely unlikely. It's been 50 years since the last bananapocalypse. The people that worked in the industry during the first disaster are probably dead. This will be the first disater the current batch of banas running the industry will face. They will more than likely react the same way the first group did. They'll just forget about it and continue to do the same thing with whatever banana gets chosen to be the next banana standard.

Also if iirc the yellow alternatives to the Cavendish are either small varieties (like lady fingers, which are commercially available) or take longer to ripen. Having no perfect alternative to Cavendish might get the companies to diversify more...

I think it's probably cheaper for them to genetically engineer an army of banana clones, which ends up being more profitable.

In any case, I rather prefer the smaller varieties. I think the taste better than the Cavendish.