going bananas

I'm writing a paper on the banana trade in Honduras. It's about the role of multinational corporations on the development (or rather lack of development) in the country. The promo for Chiquita Bananas was a source of inspiration. [watch on youtube]

Chiquita Banana Song (1944):
I'm Chiquita Banana and I've come to say
Bananas have to ripen in a certain way.
When they are fleck'd with brown and have a golden hue,
Bananas taste the best, and are the best for you.
You can put them in a salad
(Me?) No, not yet my dear.
The greenish way you’re looking means that you are right for cooking.
(How ‘bout me?)
No no, when you are fully ripe my dear those little flecks of brown appear
(Me?)
You’re most digestible my friend; delicious too from end to end.
You can put them in a piiiiieee
Any way you want to eat them it’s impossible to beat them.
But bananas like the climate of the very, very tropical equator
So you should never put bananas in the refrigerator.
Bananas are a solid food that doctors now include in babies’ diet
And if they are so good for baby I think we all should try it.

It's interesting how a simple ad like this has lots of historical significance (which I may share if I ever stop procrastinating and finish the assignment!).

>> Essay COMPLETE! Below are just some interesting facts that coincide with things seen in the promo. This "analysis" was much more fun than my paper :D
-steamship: the great white fleet was iconic to the shipments of bananas that were held in their refrigerated compartments from Latin America to the United States (North America was the destination of 38% of the exports)
-Chiquita: brand name of Giant Cavendish bananas that were sold. The company used to be called United Fruit, which had a monopoly over the US market from 1900 to 1920. Historically, the Gros Michel variety was preferred, but it was susceptible to Panama Disease (outbreak in early 1900’s)
-branding: naming and boxing bananas was an innovative step for United Fruit because it made it into selling of a brand instead of just advertising bananas in general
-banana lady: inspired by Carmen Miranda, the Broadway icon which was the image of the typical Latin American woman
-best: when people were becoming urbanized in the early 19th century, the low price and convenience made it popular with the working class people
-cooking: liked by the “refined woman” because it was less mess and grease when compared to animal products
-ripe: originally warned against eating bananas before they were ripe because they believed it wasn’t digestible
-refrigerator: brought idea of middle-class homes able to afford the appliances which revolutionized the process of food storage and preparation
-babies: banana peel was considered germ-resistant and thus safe for babies and children to eat

and if you wanted to see the history of the banana stickers, click here

sources:
Pedro Arias et al., The World Banana Economy 1985-2002 (Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2003).
John Soluri, “Bananna Cultures: Linking the Production and Consumption of Export Bananas, 1800-1980,” in Banana Wars, ed. Steve Striffler and Mark Moberg (Durham: Duke University Press, 2003).