Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World

304 Pages·2008·1.3 MB·english

by  Dan Koeppel

Banana

The Fate of the Fruit That

Changed the World

Dan Koeppel
HUDSON STREET PRESS
Published by the Penguin Group
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First published by Hudson Street Press, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Copyright © Dan Koeppel, 2008
All rights reserved
REGISTERED TRADEMARK—MARCA REGISTRADA
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Koeppel, Dan.
Banana : the fate of the fruit that changed the world / Dan Koeppel.
p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN: 1-4295-9325-3
1. Bananas. I. Title.

SB379.B2K66 2008

634'.772—dc22 2007038398

Page ii: Originally published in The Banana: Its History, Cultivation, and Place Among Staple Foods by
Philip K. Reynolds. Page 5: Courtauld Institute Galleries, London; published under Wikimedia
Creative Commons license. Page 11: Photo by Alan Lakritz. Licensed under Creative Commons.
Original image at www.Flickr.com/photos/35188692@N00/133805120/. Page 54: Courtesy Ann
Lovell. Page 61: Author’s collection. Page 61: Author’s collection. Page 118: Courtesy Ann Lovell.
Page 163: Jeffrey Weiss. Page 163: Jeffrey Weiss. Page 165: Jeffrey Weiss. Page 203: Library of
Congress. Page 209: Dan Koeppel. Page 242: Jeffrey Weiss.
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To Kalee, with love

CONTENTS

The World’s Most Humble Fruit xi
PART I: Family Trees
CHAPTER 1: And God Created the Banana 3
CHAPTER 2: A Banana in Your Pocket? 9
CHAPTER 3: The First Farm 15
CHAPTER 4: All in the Family 20
PART II: Expansion
CHAPTER 5: Asia 27
CHAPTER 6: Pacific 34
CHAPTER 7: Africa 40
CHAPTER 8: Americas 45
viii CONTENTS
PART III: Corn Flakes and Coup d’Etats
CHAPTER 9: Bringing Bananas Home 51

CHAPTER 10: Taming the Wild 57

CHAPTER 11: Why Banana Peels Are Funny 63

CHAPTER 12: Sam the Banana Man 71

CHAPTER 13: No Bananas Today 77

CHAPTER 14: Man Makes a Banana 80

CHAPTER 15: The Banana Massacre 84

CHAPTER 16: The Inhuman Republics 90

CHAPTER 17: Straightening Out the Business 93

PART IV: Never Enough
CHAPTER 18: Knowledge Is Powerless 99

CHAPTER 19: Pure Science 103

CHAPTER 20: A Second Front 106

CHAPTER 21: No Respite 111

CHAPTER 22: Brand Name Bananas 116

CHAPTER 23: Guatemala 119

PART V: Good-bye, Michel
CHAPTER 24: Cavendish 135

CHAPTER 25: Falling Apart 142

CHAPTER 26: Embracing the New 148

CHAPTER 27: Chronic Injury 152

CHAPTER 28: Banana Plus Banana 157

CHAPTER 29: A Savior? 166

CHAPTER 30: Golden Child 176

PART VI: A New Banana
CHAPTER 31: A Long Way from Panama 185

CHAPTER 32: Know Your Enemies 194
CONTENTS ix
CHAPTER 33: A Banana Crossroads 201

CHAPTER 34: Frankenbanana 211

CHAPTER 35: Still the Octopus? 218

CHAPTER 36: The Way Out 228

A Banana Time Line 243

Bibliography 261

Acknowledgments 265

Index 269