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Lore & Mythos - Boats & Bananas
TipsyCad147 Sat Dec 19, 2009 4:18 am
Lore & Mythos - Boats & Bananas
In Hawaii there is a rumour that the goddess Pele gave her brother the job of being in charge of fishing. Not being particularly well endowed, the jealous deity banned bananas from all boats. Today not only do most Hawaiian fisherman ban bananas on board but also any banana related food and products including Banana sunscreen!
Since the 1700s sailors have believed that having a banana on ship will bring nothing but bad luck and disaster. This was due to an observance, during the height of the Spanish South Atlantic and Caribbean trading empire, that nearly every ship which disappeared at sea carried a cargo of bananas. Sailors, being a superstitious bunch, put 2 and 2 together and decided bananas were the cause of the loss.
To add to this superstition sailors were never happy to work the fast sailing ships which took bananas from the Tropics to the East Coast of America. Only the fastest ships were used as the bananas had to reach their destination before they could spoil. This meant the sailors never caught any fish when trolling. Hungry sailors do not make a happy crew.
Further speculation about the safety of carrying bananas arose when slave ships carried bananas as well as human cargo. It was said deaths occurred beneath deck where the slaves and fruit were kept. The bananas were made the culprit and the deaths attributed to methane gas emitted from the ripening fruit.
Mysterious deaths of sailors also occurred on many ships with banana cargo on board. The crates of fruit would hide deadly spiders and sometimes snakes. Initially the deaths were not associated with the stowaway insects or reptiles and the poor bananas got the blame.
Recipe for the Week - Banana Bread
If you have a few (too) ripe bananas in the kitchen, don't throw them away! Make delicious banana bread!
What you need:
• 2 Cups plain flour
• 2 Large eggs
• 1/2 Cup softened butter
• 1/2 Teaspoon salt
• 1 Teaspoon baking soda
• 1 Cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla essence
• 3 Medium, over-ripe bananas mashed
What to do:
1. Put the flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Stir and make a small well in the centre.
2. In a different bowl cream the butter and sugar until pale and smooth.
3. Add the eggs to the butter mixture one at a time and beat after each addition.
4. Add the bananas, lemon juice and vanilla to the mixture. Mix well.
5. Put the banana mixture in to the well of the flour in the other bowl. Stir well.
6. Put the mixture into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350F for 1 hour.
Something to think about...
"Everyone has his superstitions. One of mine has always been when I started to go anywhere, or to do anything, never to turn back or to stop until the thing intended was accomplished" - Ulysses S. Grant
In Hawaii there is a rumour that the goddess Pele gave her brother the job of being in charge of fishing. Not being particularly well endowed, the jealous deity banned bananas from all boats. Today not only do most Hawaiian fisherman ban bananas on board but also any banana related food and products including Banana sunscreen!
Since the 1700s sailors have believed that having a banana on ship will bring nothing but bad luck and disaster. This was due to an observance, during the height of the Spanish South Atlantic and Caribbean trading empire, that nearly every ship which disappeared at sea carried a cargo of bananas. Sailors, being a superstitious bunch, put 2 and 2 together and decided bananas were the cause of the loss.
To add to this superstition sailors were never happy to work the fast sailing ships which took bananas from the Tropics to the East Coast of America. Only the fastest ships were used as the bananas had to reach their destination before they could spoil. This meant the sailors never caught any fish when trolling. Hungry sailors do not make a happy crew.
Further speculation about the safety of carrying bananas arose when slave ships carried bananas as well as human cargo. It was said deaths occurred beneath deck where the slaves and fruit were kept. The bananas were made the culprit and the deaths attributed to methane gas emitted from the ripening fruit.
Mysterious deaths of sailors also occurred on many ships with banana cargo on board. The crates of fruit would hide deadly spiders and sometimes snakes. Initially the deaths were not associated with the stowaway insects or reptiles and the poor bananas got the blame.
Recipe for the Week - Banana Bread
If you have a few (too) ripe bananas in the kitchen, don't throw them away! Make delicious banana bread!
What you need:
• 2 Cups plain flour
• 2 Large eggs
• 1/2 Cup softened butter
• 1/2 Teaspoon salt
• 1 Teaspoon baking soda
• 1 Cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla essence
• 3 Medium, over-ripe bananas mashed
What to do:
1. Put the flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Stir and make a small well in the centre.
2. In a different bowl cream the butter and sugar until pale and smooth.
3. Add the eggs to the butter mixture one at a time and beat after each addition.
4. Add the bananas, lemon juice and vanilla to the mixture. Mix well.
5. Put the banana mixture in to the well of the flour in the other bowl. Stir well.
6. Put the mixture into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350F for 1 hour.
Something to think about...
"Everyone has his superstitions. One of mine has always been when I started to go anywhere, or to do anything, never to turn back or to stop until the thing intended was accomplished" - Ulysses S. Grant
TipsyCad147- Posts : 284
Reputation : 1
Join date : 2008-12-19
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