Friday, October 03, 2008

Going Bananas

For a long time now, I've always eaten a banana with breakfast. While I wouldn't claim it to be my favourite fruit, it's high up there. It's convenient (no washing or cutting); unlike most fruit, it's filling; it's tasty; it's one of the few fruits I'm not allergic to and it's a fruit I can buy cheaply, all year round in Japan. Until now.

A couple of weeks ago, they disappeared from the supermarkets. Why? It all has to do with a fad banana diet. A friend of mine watched the TV show that tested the diet and the ironic thing is, it didn't even work for the woman trying it out. And yet it seems like the nation is eager to get on it.

Last weekend Wayne happened to be at the supermarket at opening time. He went straight for the bananas. He and everyone else. He ended up walking away for a while, surprised at the rush. After picking up the other things we needed, he went back. Then the crowd around the banana shelves had thinned but was still four people deep and he had to fight to get us a bunch.

I wish everyone would get over this latest fad. I want my morning banana again!


Photo by -eko-

14 comments:

owenandbenjamin said...

You should start a rumor about a super diet based on the kumquat. Then maybe they will leave the bananas alone.

Anonymous said...

that is one hilarious banana. People are so weird! And suggestible.

K and S said...

like the kanten diet...sigh...

Forsythia said...

Isn't there a well known Japanese author whose first name is Banana?

Anonymous said...

Forsythia that would be Banana Yoshimoto.

Mel, i called my mil in japan and she told me she was on the banana diet! I couldn't believe it. I said to her, so what do you do for the diet, banana for breakfast lunch and dinner? And she said no, a banana for breakfast every day. Uh hello? But isn't that what most people have for breakfast anyways? I can't see what is so "diet" about it?? My mil is the diet queen, last year she was doing the skim milk yoghurt diet..! so many diets in japan and they're always weird. Why don't people use their common sense and think oh well, healthy food + exercise is a winner. ? I think they just want an easy way...but usually like with everything if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is!
:) BTW, have you got the hello kitty banana cover? ;0) haha

Anonymous said...

This is the first time I have heard of this Banana Diet, it made me laugh. A banana in the morning, haha.

Diets in Japan? Come on people, my students are literally sticks and they tell me they are on a diet. These are high school students! Japanese people should really stop thinking about reducing their weight from 40kgs to 30kgs.

Has anyone noticed how the Western diet and the Japanese diet are slowly moving from one country to the other? Western fast food to Japan and healthy fish/tofu to the West.

Anonymous said...

I can almost hear the cries of "B-aa-aa-a" when the supermarket doors open in the morning. Wakes me up. That's ok, though... I just start counting Japanese shoppers and I'm off to sleep again.

nobu said...

Banana diet?
So I was not able to find banana, when I went to the supermarket.
Actually it is rich in fiver, and it is low-price.

There are varius diet in Japan.
Konnyaku diet, Kanten diet, Tokoroten diet, Nashi pear diet,vinegar diet, Tofu diet,Natto diet, egg diet, mmm.......
I wonder Where has it gone "apple diet". It sounds nostalgic......

By the way, when I was a little child, Banana was so expensive in Japan, because of high protective tariff.
I remenber I was thinking if I could eat a bunch of banana, I could die thousand times.

I still love banana!!

Melanie's Dad in NZ said...

Mum bought a bunch of bananas yesterday, and I had one for breakfast. Keep up the family tradition.

Anonymous said...

That's mental. I heard stuff about this but I didn't think it was real. I'm sure they'll be a new diet soon - onion would be good.

I like the banana picture too.

Anonymous said...

I was confused when I couldn't find any bananas anywhere! I thought that they had gone out of season, but then I remembered that bananas don't have a season, and are always available. Only now, a few weeks later, are bananas just coming back to the store shelves, but still at a higher price.

And fruit in Japan is expensive! Seriously expensive! Bananas are the only thing I can afford! And then they go disappearing...

Thomas Hammerlund said...

I think Tornadoes is onto something.

The same thing happened a few weeks ago in Sendai, but the bananas are slowly starting to come back.

Melanie Gray Augustin said...

Hey tornadoes - yep, a very good idea. Or even better - a pineapple diet. I love pineapple, but am deadly allergic to it, and always look longingly at them. I'd be happy if they weren't in the supermarket.

Hey Bex - that picture just felt so right for Japan

Hey k&s - what is "kanten" I've heard a few people mention that diet.

Hey Forsythia - I see that nakayoshilife has answered that question :)

Hey nakayoshilife - yeh, they go from one fad diet to the next, though I'm not sure why.... for the most part they are so thin. Hehehe.. no I don't have the Hello Kitty cover, but I do have a "Banana Guard", a hard cover version :)

Hey yellowman - how right you are!

Hey billywest - :) Love the comment!

Hey Nobu - oooohh.. the natto diet - now that does NOT sound good!

Hey Dad - yep, we do love our bananas don't we - except I never liked the Lady Fingers that grew in our backyard. The phrase "bananas are compulsary" still sticks in my mind to this day :)

Hey Francesca - all too true I'm afraid! Bananas are starting to trickle back into the store, so I think the fad is coming to an end.

Hey alexdberg - they are starting to come back to mine as well. And yeh, bananas are alway my cheap fruit fallback.

Hey thomas - I agree, I think tornadoes had a good idea there. We are starting to get some bananas back too.

faz said...

omg that is just werid!!! Good luck on getting some bannanas!!