What's up with the bananas in Taiwan lately?

Arts & Sciences Science & Nature
#1

This is something that’s been bothering me for a while now. I used to buy bananas all the time. I especially loved those really small bananas that are super sweet. But, unfortunately for the past few months I haven’t been able to find many good bananas. The stores are only selling bananas that are already turning brown and mushy. Yuck! I like them when they are green and firm and just starting to turn yellow.

So, what’s up? Is this a bad year for bananas in Asia? I just got back from NYC and they had good bananas there. Why can’t I get good bananas here too? This banana problem is seriously affecting my quality of life. Who wants to eat Cranberry Almond Crunch cereal without sliced fresh bananas?

Anybody else notice this recent banana situation? Anyone know where there are some good bananas to be gotten?

p.s. No penis jokes please! I’m really talking about bananas.

#2

Oh goddammit. And this one was ripe for the picking too.

#3

I noticed the same thing. They only stay edible for a day or two as well.

Interesting article

BBC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2664373.stm

#4

I didn’t have anything better to do tonight (well, I did, but you know how it goes), so I went looking for information about bananas in the local press. Since food is a regular staple of the nightly news, I figured there’d be plenty of news. And there was.

Here’s the deal. The vast majority of Taiwan’s bananas come from Kaohsiung County. Remember all the torrential rain they had down south at the beginning of the year? Well, the price of bananas skyrocketed to NT$60 per “jin.” Eager to reap profits, farmers rushed to plant bananas, resulting in a huge oversupply of bananas. The farmers then figured they could export the surplus, but get this: a whole boatload of Taiwan bananas bound for Japan was rejected by Japanese quality control inspectors for having unduly high levels of pesticide residue; those bananas were returned to Taiwan, where they just added to the surplus. Banana farmers did manage to export 200 tons of bananas to China, but that didn’t help much - neither did the fact that bananas and pitaya (火龍果) are the two most popular ghost month food offerings. In fact, the price of bananas plummeted to NT$9 per jin in July. Apparently, the farmers are very sad. They say they’re not even making cost.

I also read about how the Kaohsiung County mayor recently began promoting “banana cuisine,” and raved about banana fried rice and banana teppanyaki (banananyaki?). Rather than chuckle, the reporter grabbed a pair of chopsticks and dug right in. She concurred with Mayor Yang and added that banana rice noodles are very QQ.

So what you’re eating has been around for a while and has possibly traveled to Japan.

Action photos:


In other fruit news, I hear there won’t be many pomeloes (柚子) left for this year’s Moon Festival. They’re ripening ahead of schedule and due to the intercalary ghost month, the Moon Festival isn’t until October 6.

BTW, can I make a penis joke now?

#5

Mmmm… Pomelo…

#6

Oh hell, I’m sick of waiting.

I know where you can get one for free.

By “sweet” do you mean less intrusive? I think it depends on whether or not they come with sauce. I hear the long ones are fairly salty.

Some local gigolos still haven’t heard of Viagra.

Firm I understand, but are you colorblind? Usually it goes from one color to a darker shade, say pink and firm and just starting to turn violent purple.

Obviously not your bananas.

Taste is subjective. Shop around, try giving them nicknames, and see if they grow on you.

:astonished: SLICED?
Strike that bit above about the free banana.

#7

Actually they taste a lot better with a little natural yoghurt. Do I win £50?

#8

[quote=“Erhu”]So, what’s up? Is this a bad year for bananas in Asia? I just got back from NYC and they had good bananas there. Why can’t I get good bananas here too? This banana problem is seriously affecting my quality of life. Who wants to eat Cranberry Almond Crunch cereal without sliced fresh bananas?
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I’ve had two banana problems in Taiwan. The shopkeepers demand you buy the big bunch. At least in the supermarkets you can just ask for some to be cut off or break them off yourself. In the heat they go bad. I’ve been refrigerating them and the skin goes black but the inside stays mostly good.

Glad to see you putting them on cereal. I just love that. At the moment its half a diced mango, half an apple, Costco grapes and banana all piled on cereal. Good thing with the range of fruit you can lose one or two types and still have a great breakfast.

#9

What about tomatoes? I’ve hardly seen any tomatoes in the veg market for about four months now.

#10

That’s because they’re all being grown in closets.

#11

:homer: Hehe. Erhu said “penis”.

#12

Wow, thanks for doing the research on this stg. Interesting. But this is just a tad bit troubling:

:astonished: I’ve eaten ROTS of Taiwanese bananas in the past few years. Am I doomed?

If you must. I think in the official rules there’s something about an obligatory “one penis joke per thread”. I’m sure this applies doubly in a thread about bananas.

#13

Probably no more than the rest of us. I just wolfed down a whole plate of kongxincai, and I doubt it was organic. With lots of garlic, it may just be my all-time favorite veggie.

Thanks. I’l get right on that.

BTW, I’m partial to those frozen berries from Costco - strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, and mixed raspberry-blueberry-blackberry. The bags are gigantic and seem to last forever. And since they’re berries they slice easily when frozen. Great on cereal (esp. All Bran), and really yummy in that one low-fat no-sugar plain yogurt brand you can get here.

Yup, my berries are really tasty.

#14

[quote=“smell the glove”]
BTW, I’m partial to those frozen berries from Costco - strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, and mixed raspberry-blueberry-blackberry. The bags are gigantic and seem to last forever. And since they’re berries they slice easily when frozen. Great on cereal (esp. All Bran), and really yummy in that one low-fat no-sugar plain yogurt brand you can get here.

Yup, my berries are really tasty.[/quote]

Do they only have frozen raspberries or only mixed with blueberries?

I miss and love raspberries.

#15

[quote=“Lo Bo To”]Do they only have frozen raspberries or only mixed with blueberries?

I miss and love raspberries.[/quote]
Me too. The bag I got is the Rader Farms mix - black (marion), blue, and rasp. I didn’t notice rasp sold separately - just the blues and crans (each in 1.3 kg bags). The straws are from Sunrise Growers (2.7 kg bag). They seem to last forever - and my latest bag is good until 8/07.

I take my berries very seriously.

#16

The only option is to start eating farmers.

#17

When I read the title, I thought you are talking about “Banana People”. :blush:

Banana = Yellow outside, White inside = Caucasian wanna be Asian.

#18

[quote=“nihonjin”]When I read the title, I thought you are talking about “Banana People”. :blush:

Banana = Yellow outside, White inside = Caucasian wanna be Asian.[/quote]

Well, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

#19

[quote=“smell the glove”] … very QQ.

[/quote]

??? :astonished: … what the hell is very QQ

#20

America (US) ownes probably all banana plantations in Central and south america, so does Europe in Africa … and the bananas there are crossbred to get the best of the best … in Taiwan they just pick what nature grows … or something … and importing these the foreign bananas into Taiwan is sooo expensive in import duty that they just can’t compete with the Taiwanese banana