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It is a truism that"Travel is broadening." What we mean by this is that when we travel,
we also enlarge our view of the world.At home,we tend to believe that we are at the center
of the world.When we travel to a foreign plave,we realize that it is we who are "foreign."
The people we encounter are at home there,and for them where they are is the center of the
world. Thus,there are many centers.This is the lesson learned by the narrator of "The Green
Banana" as he discovers a special use for an unripe fruit.
Although it might have happened anywhere, my encounter with the green banana started on
a steep mountain road in Brazil.My ancient jeep was straining up through the spectacular
countryside when the radiator began to leak,and the nearest mechanic was ten miles away.
The overhearted engine forced me to stop at the next village,which consisted of a small
store and a few houses. People gathered to look.There fine streams of hot water spouted
from holes in the jacket of the radiator."That's easy to fix," a man said. He sent a boy
running for some green bananas.He patted me on the shoulder, assuring me everything would
work out."Green bananas," he smiled. Everyone agreed.
We exchanged friendly remarks while I thought about the consequences of the green bananas.
Asking questions would betray my ignorance,so I remarked on the beauty of the terrain.
Huge rock formations rose up all around us."Do you see that tall one right over there?"
ask my benefactor,pointing to a particularly tall, slender rock."That rock marks the center
of the world."
I tried to find out if he was teasing me,but his face was serious. He in turn inspected
me carefully to be sure I grasped the significance of his statement.The occasion demanded
some show of understanding on my part."The center of the world,"I repeated,trying to convey
interest if not complete acceptance.He nodded."The absolute center.Everyone around here knows
it."
At that moment the boy returned with my green bananas.The man sliced ont in half and pressed
the cut end against the radiator jacket. The banana melted into glue against the hot metal,
plugging the leaks instantly. Everyone laughed at my astonishment.They refilled my radiator
and gave me extra bananas to take along. An hour later,after one more application of the green
banana,my radiator and I reached our destination.The local mechanic smiled. "Who taught you
about the green banana?" I named the village."Did they show you the rock marking the center
of the world?" he asked. I assured hime they did."My grandfather came from there,"he said.
"The exact center.Everyone around here has always known about it."
As a product of American highter education,I had never paid the slightest attention to
the green banana,except to regard it as a fruit whose time had not yet come.Suddenly on
that mountain road,its time and my need had converged.But as I reflected on it further,I
realized that the green banana had been there all along. Its time reached back to the very
origin of the banana.The people in that village had known about it for years.My own time
had come in relation to it. This chance encounter showed me the special genius of those
people and the special potential of the green banana.
On the other hand, while I now understood that I had formerly only had a limited awareness
of what a green banana was good for it took a while longer for the importance of the rock
marking the center of the world to sink in.I had intially been skeptical of their claim,because
I knew for a fact that the center of the world was located somewherein New England. After
all,my grandfather had come from there.But gradually I realized they had a true belied-
a universal concept-and I had to agree with them.We tend to define the center of the world
as that special place where we are known,where we know others,where things make sense to
us,and where we ourselves have both identity and meaning:family,school,town,and local region.
The cultures of the world are full of unexpected green bananas with special value and meaning.
They have been there for ages,ripening slowly,perhaps waiting patiently for people to come
along to encounter them. For me,the knowledge that the green banana could be used to plug
a leaky radiator was a revelation:there was much I could learn in my travels if I would only
toss away all my preconceived notions and open my eyes to the world around me.In fact,I am
willing to say that a green banana is waiting for all of us who leave our own centers of
the world in order to experience other places.
we also enlarge our view of the world.At home,we tend to believe that we are at the center
of the world.When we travel to a foreign plave,we realize that it is we who are "foreign."
The people we encounter are at home there,and for them where they are is the center of the
world. Thus,there are many centers.This is the lesson learned by the narrator of "The Green
Banana" as he discovers a special use for an unripe fruit.
Although it might have happened anywhere, my encounter with the green banana started on
a steep mountain road in Brazil.My ancient jeep was straining up through the spectacular
countryside when the radiator began to leak,and the nearest mechanic was ten miles away.
The overhearted engine forced me to stop at the next village,which consisted of a small
store and a few houses. People gathered to look.There fine streams of hot water spouted
from holes in the jacket of the radiator."That's easy to fix," a man said. He sent a boy
running for some green bananas.He patted me on the shoulder, assuring me everything would
work out."Green bananas," he smiled. Everyone agreed.
We exchanged friendly remarks while I thought about the consequences of the green bananas.
Asking questions would betray my ignorance,so I remarked on the beauty of the terrain.
Huge rock formations rose up all around us."Do you see that tall one right over there?"
ask my benefactor,pointing to a particularly tall, slender rock."That rock marks the center
of the world."
I tried to find out if he was teasing me,but his face was serious. He in turn inspected
me carefully to be sure I grasped the significance of his statement.The occasion demanded
some show of understanding on my part."The center of the world,"I repeated,trying to convey
interest if not complete acceptance.He nodded."The absolute center.Everyone around here knows
it."
At that moment the boy returned with my green bananas.The man sliced ont in half and pressed
the cut end against the radiator jacket. The banana melted into glue against the hot metal,
plugging the leaks instantly. Everyone laughed at my astonishment.They refilled my radiator
and gave me extra bananas to take along. An hour later,after one more application of the green
banana,my radiator and I reached our destination.The local mechanic smiled. "Who taught you
about the green banana?" I named the village."Did they show you the rock marking the center
of the world?" he asked. I assured hime they did."My grandfather came from there,"he said.
"The exact center.Everyone around here has always known about it."
As a product of American highter education,I had never paid the slightest attention to
the green banana,except to regard it as a fruit whose time had not yet come.Suddenly on
that mountain road,its time and my need had converged.But as I reflected on it further,I
realized that the green banana had been there all along. Its time reached back to the very
origin of the banana.The people in that village had known about it for years.My own time
had come in relation to it. This chance encounter showed me the special genius of those
people and the special potential of the green banana.
On the other hand, while I now understood that I had formerly only had a limited awareness
of what a green banana was good for it took a while longer for the importance of the rock
marking the center of the world to sink in.I had intially been skeptical of their claim,because
I knew for a fact that the center of the world was located somewherein New England. After
all,my grandfather had come from there.But gradually I realized they had a true belied-
a universal concept-and I had to agree with them.We tend to define the center of the world
as that special place where we are known,where we know others,where things make sense to
us,and where we ourselves have both identity and meaning:family,school,town,and local region.
The cultures of the world are full of unexpected green bananas with special value and meaning.
They have been there for ages,ripening slowly,perhaps waiting patiently for people to come
along to encounter them. For me,the knowledge that the green banana could be used to plug
a leaky radiator was a revelation:there was much I could learn in my travels if I would only
toss away all my preconceived notions and open my eyes to the world around me.In fact,I am
willing to say that a green banana is waiting for all of us who leave our own centers of
the world in order to experience other places.
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