Bananas

I like bananas. I like to eat half a banana for a snack or have one, sliced and served on toast with peanut butter for breakfast. Bananas are also great for making banana bread, smoothies, and parfaits. But this appreciation of bananas is nothing compared to my Chinese friends' love for bananas. My friends can sure eat those bananas. Frequently, they will consume a whole banana right before eating an entire meal. The other day, a friend was at my place for about 3 and a half hours; in that time, she consumed two bananas and lunch.
I used to feel extremely frustrated that the fruit sellers would never sell me small quantities of bananas like 3 or 4; I always felt like I was buying 1/2 a crop's worth. But now, I understand. If I buy 3 or 4 bananas, they probably think that amount will only last me 2 days. And actually, now that I have these banana eating friends, they're probably right!