The Lonely Banana

This is Alaska

Photograph by Author — The lonely banana at Safeway in Juneau, Alaska.

Only One Left at this Price

I love a good banana. I first ate fresh-picked bananas in South America when I was eighteen years old. I still love them forty years later, but sometimes the pickings are slim.

Not a Collector’s Item

It isn’t the pandemic or tariffs that made my banana so lonely yesterday. It is just an Alaska thing. The supply chain isn’t broken, impaired, or damaged. It isn’t a pestilence or plague upon my favorite fruit. It is just an Alaska thing.

Far from the Maddening Crowd

We live far from the banana plantations of Latin and South America. Bananas need to travel a very long way from tree to store. Sometimes, the process doesn’t work so well. Real humans need to brave real storms to get them here in the winter.

Ripening is a Growth Opportunity

They arrive a lighter shade of pale green and ripen in our kitchens. Sub-par temperatures and a lack of ambient light do not help to ripen. We are lucky when we get a good batch, but we have better luck in the spring and summer.

Imperfection is Okay

Yesterday, I marveled at the lonely banana. I bought it and brought it home because it looked lonely. I was worried the grocer would throw it out because it…