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"Bananas"
by Paul McGehee. Also known as "plantains," bananas are popular from
the Americas to Africa to Asia. People have been eating bananas for
more than 15,000 years. Bananas are originally from the Malaysian rain
forests of Southeast Asia. In the 1500's, Portuguese colonists
(bringing the fruit from western Africa) started the first banana
plantations in the "New World" in the Atlantic islands and in South
America. North Americans began consuming bananas on a small scale (at
premium prices) shortly after the Civil War, though it was only in the
1880's that having the delicious yellow fruit on the menu became more
widespread. In those early years bananas were not widely known in
Europe, although they were available. Today, there are banana growers
who produce for the world market in the Windward Islands of the
Caribbean...they are known for the growing the delicious "Cavendish"
banana, popular in Europe and North America. In the Caribbean, farmers
who make their livings cultivating other cash crops also grow
bananas...the hearty plants require very little effort to grow and
bring in much-welcome extra income. Eaten straight from the peel or
cooked in many delicious ways, Bananas are acknowledged to be the most
popular fruit in the world. It is estimated that people around the
world eat more than 100,000,000,000 bananas each year! "Bananas" is an
archival quality
limited edition print of only 500 pieces, faithfully reproduced from
Paul's original color pencil drawing, each print hand-signed by the
artist.
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