Pineapples, bananas, and mangos. All these are brightly colored, highly prized, tropical fruits. I love them all, but I'm constantly reminded of their origins. Ultimately, they are all "trophies of imperialism and colonialism.*" King Ferdinand proclaimed the pineapple, for example, a royal and lordly fruit when Mr. Columbus brought them back. These breadfruits, now seen as a Hawaiian icon, came originally from Argentina and Paraguay. Hawaii, though, is the so-called "pineapple empire" - just as the northeastern coasts of South America became known as the "Banana Lands." Both of these colorful designations come from the rise of an international economic system, one expressly controlled by western exporters.
It's most interesting that color plays so important a role in defining the character of these so-desirable fruits. Like their source countries' inhabitants, the exotic skin color is part of the intrigue. Tropical fruits are sumptuous and exciting; they're thought to add variety or spice to one's life. In other words, it's gastric colonialism.
* from Pineapple Culture: A History of the Tropical and Temperate Zones, Gary Y. Okihiro
It's most interesting that color plays so important a role in defining the character of these so-desirable fruits. Like their source countries' inhabitants, the exotic skin color is part of the intrigue. Tropical fruits are sumptuous and exciting; they're thought to add variety or spice to one's life. In other words, it's gastric colonialism.
* from Pineapple Culture: A History of the Tropical and Temperate Zones, Gary Y. Okihiro
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