« "On-on..." | Main | Scene and Herd »
March 24, 2009
Bananarama
My TOEFL students were shocked yesterday to learn that there's only one kind of banana in the United States.
This somewhat odd discussion came out of a listening selection on heirloom crops. For that to make sense, I had to explain the concept of selective breeding, giving cows as a basic example (ie, for dairy, meat, or in the case of Cambodian cattle, physical labor). The biology and environmental sciences students already had some idea about 'biodiversity,' the topic of one of our better master's programs, so this wasn't too much of a stretch for them. Then I explained how the bananas I ate in the states were generally grown in Central or South America, and since they had to keep fresh over a long travel time, they were generally bred for that quality above others.
Cambodia, in contrast, has a very short time-to-market, and generally isn't so systematized in its agriculture. So that means that without even trying Cambodia has many different kinds of bananas that might be considered "heirloom" in other countries. They are incredibly flavorful; I particularly enjoy the short, fat "chicken-egg bananas" you can get on the street in any number of ways. When wrapped in sticky rice and grilled, they're one of my favorite roadside foods.
It's the same with tomatoes (some of which, admittedly, come from Vietnam). But I should note that Cambodia isn't necessarily the organic paradise you might imagine. A lot of farmers buy pesticides and fertilizers with directions and warnings in languages they can't read, and drench their crops with these volatile chemicals in concentrations far above recommended or safe levels. The chemistry department has done some really interesting work in this regard, and education on the matter is an ongoing project for the NGOs.
Posted by flynn at March 24, 2009 11:46 AM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
https://blogs.princeton.edu/mt/mt-tb.cgi/4869
Comments
I loved this entry, too; partly because I love bananas, but also because I had never really thought about bananas having a variety of flavor.
Posted by: Cindy Gersony at March 24, 2009 10:57 PM
Wait? You mean you aren't supposed to bombard your crops with large undiluted amounts of mysterious (and possibly magical) chemicals from faraway lands?
Well, I guess I'll have to abandon my dreams of making it in the agri-business field. (There's always animal husbandry, I suppose.)
Posted by: Brendan at March 30, 2009 5:14 AM