# God's most perfectest fruit? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 5, 2008, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gods-most-perfectest-fruit/448136 "2008-05-05T16:00:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gods-most-perfectest-fruit/448136/21 "2008-05-05T20:00:02Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] Can a banana be quickly ripened in the fridge? [/QUOTE] Alton says no. I think you can put them in a paper bag to hurry it up a bit. Putting them in the fridge slows it down, though. IIRC ---
**Author:** ![LiveOnAPlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@LiveOnAPlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveOnAPlane)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gods-most-perfectest-fruit/448136/22 "2008-05-05T20:09:13Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] Can a banana be quickly ripened in the fridge? [/QUOTE] Like **KneadToKnow** , I’ve had success with putting them in a paper bag – on the counter, NOT the fridge – with an apple. I think it’s ethylene gas or something given off by the apple that causes the banana to ripen more quickly. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gods-most-perfectest-fruit/448136/23 "2008-05-05T20:25:32Z")
[QUOTE=KneadToKnow] You know that’s just the peel, right? And that you tear that part off and throw it away, right? Just checkin’. [/QUOTE] Huh? By the time the peel turns black, the inside’s turned mushy, too. Of course, you might LIKE eating mushy bananas - some people do. ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gods-most-perfectest-fruit/448136/24 "2008-05-05T20:33:54Z")
[QUOTE=KneadToKnow] You know that’s just the peel, right? And that you tear that part off and throw it away, right? Just checkin’. [/QUOTE] But it’s still _grrooooddddyyyyy!_ And we often give the banana to the animal with the peels on. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gods-most-perfectest-fruit/448136/25 "2008-05-05T20:35:25Z")
And why in hell would you want a banana to ripen FASTER? In my experience, they ripen way too fast anyhow. I try to buy them with a bit of green still on them so I can keep them around for a few days, and they still turn brown before I want to eat them half the time. BTW, yes, ethylene gas is the mechanism. It’s put out by most ripening fruits, and accelerates the process if the fruit is allowed to sit there and bathe in the stuff, like being placed in a bag. Apples and bananas both put out a lot of it, and will accelerate the ripening of other fruits. Ethylene gas is denser than air, so you can slow up the process somewhat by hanging the bananas on a hook rather than placing them on a counter. Those “green” bags to preserve freshness supposedly work by being impregnated with something that absorbs the ethylene. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gods-most-perfectest-fruit/448136/26 "2008-05-05T20:37:38Z")
[QUOTE=jjimm] “This email brought to you by the Banana Marketing Board.” [/QUOTE] “P.S. - _F_ck pears!!\*” ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gods-most-perfectest-fruit/448136/27 "2008-05-05T21:03:46Z")
[QUOTE=yabob] Huh? By the time the peel turns black, the inside’s turned mushy, too. Of course, you might LIKE eating mushy bananas - some people do. [/QUOTE] Not after an hour in the fridge, like the person I was responding to claimed, though. ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gods-most-perfectest-fruit/448136/28 "2008-05-05T21:26:01Z")
[QUOTE=KneadToKnow] Not after an hour in the fridge, like the person I was responding to claimed, though. [/QUOTE] Sorry, I forgot about the no hyperbole rule in GQ. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gods-most-perfectest-fruit/448136/29 "2008-05-05T21:27:37Z")
The banana is [The Atheist’s Nightmare](http://ims.truepath.com/atheist.html): > [@](#): > > 1. Is shaped for human hand > 2. Has non-slip surface > 3. Has outward indicators of inward contents: Green – too early, Yellow – just right, Black – too late. > 4. Has a tab for removal of wrapper > 5. Is perforated on wrapper > 6. Bio-degradable wrapper > 7. Is shaped for human mouth > 8. Has a point at top for ease of entry > 9. Is pleasing to taste buds > 10. Is curved towards the face to make the eating process easy So the banana was given to us by God himself, in the form that it currently exists. I guess it wasn’t domesticated after all. By the way, the Scientific American podcast _Science Talk_ from last week was all about the banana. Apparently, the ubiquitous variety we see today is the Cavendish, which was far inferior to one that existed several decades ago but was wiped out by a fungus. That other variety must have caused atheists to drop dead! ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gods-most-perfectest-fruit/448136/30 "2008-05-05T21:52:07Z")
Bananas are the perfect food if you are feeling nauseated, because they taste good going down, and they taste good coming up. ---
**Author:** ![WoodenTaco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/45deac/32.png) [@WoodenTaco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WoodenTaco)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gods-most-perfectest-fruit/448136/31 "2008-05-05T21:59:16Z")
[QUOTE=Balthisar] Who cares if they turn black? [/QUOTE] David Duke? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gods-most-perfectest-fruit/448136/32 "2008-05-05T22:00:46Z")
[QUOTE=CurtC] 4. Has a tab for removal of wrapper [/QUOTE] Or a handle, depending upon your preference. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gods-most-perfectest-fruit/448136/33 "2008-05-05T22:09:32Z")
[QUOTE=CurtC] The banana is [The Atheist’s Nightmare](http://ims.truepath.com/atheist.html): [/QUOTE] They’re useless in a rucksack though, unless you invest in one of [these](http://www.bananaguard.com/). Colophon (atheist and musaphile). ---
**Author:** ![WoodenTaco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/45deac/32.png) [@WoodenTaco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WoodenTaco)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gods-most-perfectest-fruit/448136/34 "2008-05-05T22:13:41Z")
[QUOTE=Colophon] They’re useless in a rucksack though, unless you invest in one of [these](http://www.bananaguard.com/). Colophon (atheist and musaphile). [/QUOTE] I might just call them up right now on my [bananaphone](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xKLnsTUOB0) and buy one of those! ring ring ring ring ring ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gods-most-perfectest-fruit/448136/35 "2008-05-05T22:24:22Z")
[QUOTE=Wee Bairn] And they fit perfectly in the hand! [/QUOTE] The ones I have all point the wrong way. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gods-most-perfectest-fruit/448136/36 "2008-05-05T22:36:50Z")
[QUOTE=gonzomax] The ones I have all point the wrong way. [/QUOTE] Try turning them around. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gods-most-perfectest-fruit/448136/37 "2008-05-05T22:40:24Z")
[QUOTE=gonzomax] The ones I have all point the wrong way. [/QUOTE] Keeping the banana’s orientation the same (use a compass if necessary), execute a brisk about-turn and you’ll find the problem solves itself. You may need to sit the other side of the breakfast table (if you have a breakfast bar, I guess you’re screwed). ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gods-most-perfectest-fruit/448136/38 "2008-05-05T22:49:24Z")
So the most perfect fruit was a banana? Adam must have tempted Eve with that. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gods-most-perfectest-fruit/448136/39 "2008-05-05T23:00:33Z")
Yes yes, **CurtC** , I had composed a similar post only maybe not so kind and a little bit NSFW. The banana is really perfectly designed for a lot of things. You have to wonder what was on Gods mind when He designed the banana. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2008, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gods-most-perfectest-fruit/448136/40 "2008-05-06T00:20:13Z")
[QUOTE=Christopher] Yes yes, **CurtC** , I had composed a similar post only maybe not so kind and a little bit NSFW. The banana is really perfectly designed for a lot of things. You have to wonder what was on Gods mind when He designed the banana. [/QUOTE] “It would only be fair to let these people know how screwed they are.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gods-most-perfectest-fruit/448136.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gods-most-perfectest-fruit/448136.md?page=3)