Bananas!

Bananas and plantains are eaten very differently in my family.  Bananas are a daily fruit, usually consumed with breakfast.  I eat a plate of fruit every morning and often have banana slices on my plate.  Interestingly, the banana is ALWAYS cut up.  This may connect to our discussion about the sexual implications of the banana's shape.  Plantains, however, are very different.  I have only had plantains a few times, mostly for dinner.  We occasionally have plantains with our main course and they are always cooked.  Once we had a small plantain that was fried and covered in maple syrup as a special dessert treat.  In contrast, bananas are never cooked. This is very much in keeping with US uses of bananas, I believe.  Besides the occasional banana bread or muffin, bananas are not cooked and are often eaten with breakfast.  Despite their similarities, however, plantains are not at all popular in the US.  I think this has to do with marketing and there not really being a market for plantains in the US.  Plantains do not fulfill any need that something else does not already fill in the US market, so it was unable to create a niche in US culture.

Bananas are certainly an important part of the Costa Rican culture and economy.  From what I have seen and experienced, there is a certain amount of racial stereotyping that goes with the banana culture.  For example, my tica mom talked about how all bananas are produced in Limón and harvested by poor Afro-Caribbeans.  She seemed to have more pity for their poor working conditions than anything else, but it was interesting to hear that particular assumption.  We also talked about how Costa Ricans do not eat the best quality bananas.  She said that she knew that the best quality ones are always shipped to the US because we are major consumers.  This did not seem to upset her, but she did say that if she ever has the chance to visit the US she wants to eat a lot of fruit because we get all the best stuff.  This was interesting to me because we have been talking in class about the US focus on quantity over quality.  It seems to me that the bananas here, while smaller than ours, are more flavorful.  While bananas are a major export of Costa Rica, they are not nearly as important as they once were.  As we have learned, and my tica mom confirms, tourism and computer technology are on the rise and other exports are dipping in importance.  Therefore, bananas are not as important as they once were in the Costa Rican economy. 

My mom's comment about where the bananas are cultivated relates to the history of bananas.  Traditionally, bananas were produced along with the railroad and were often harvested in bad conditions.  This, in my opinion, influences the current day production of bananas.  Production remains centered in Limón and there is a certain amount of shame that comes along with working with bananas.  We talked about the national pride associated with the coffee production in Costa Rica, but this is kind of the opposite.  If a tico had worked with bananas, they would not be enthusiastic about sharing that because of the racism and social stereotypes associated with it.  

Unfortunately, my internet is doing funky things tonight, so I was unable to attach my photos to this post. I'll put them up later.
(Imagine a plate of fruit including a pile of cut up bananas)
This is a typical breakfast for me here.  Note that the bananas are cut up and served at room temperature.  Like I talked about, bananas are common for breakfast.
(Imagine a line of vendors selling at a farmer's market.  One of the stands is selling exclusively ripe bananas and green plantains)
This is a picture of bananas being sold at a farmer's market.  The seller is only selling bananas and plantains.  This indicates a level of specialty required for bananas that makes sense given the specific processes and land demands for cultivating bananas and plantains.  Their prevalence in the food markets indicate their importance to the daily tico diet as well.  There were many stands selling bananas and they got plenty of business.