Banana Blight

PasturesNew

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/01/10/110110fa_fact_peed

A soil-borne fungus is threatening Cavendish banana cultivation. More than a thousand kinds of banana can be found worldwide, but a variety called Cavendish, which a nineteenth-century British explorer happened upon in a household garden in southern China, represents ninety-nine per cent of the banana export market. The vast majority of banana varieties are not viable for international trade: their bunches are too small, or their skin is too thin, or their pulp is too bland.

treliac

I know you love your food PN, but how is this relevant to house prices?

PasturesNew

treliac wrote: »

I know you love your food PN, but how is this relevant to house prices?

Er .. hang on, I'll make something up.

It's the economy - bananas have always been used as an affordable, readily available, fruit, full of taste and nutrition. If they disappear, or become a luxury item, everybody will die of scurvy.

So, house prices will go down, as everybody dies of scurvy
Or they will go down because people need to spend more on bananas, or buy more expensive other fruit to replace it in their fresh fruit bowls.... leaving less money for houses.

Did I win?

Edit: oh oh oh ... and, er .... they might be in the "basket of goods", so might be a contributory factor to inflation ... so might make the BofE put up rates ... which might make 3 people in Blackburn default, leading to falling house prices.

treliac

PasturesNew wrote: »

Er .. hang on, I'll make something up.

It's the economy - bananas have always been used as an affordable, readily available, fruit, full of taste and nutrition. If they disappear, or become a luxury item, everybody will die of scurvy.

So, house prices will go down, as everybody dies of scurvy
Or they will go down because people need to spend more on bananas, or buy more expensive other fruit to replace it in their fresh fruit bowls.... leaving less money for houses.

Did I win?

We'll just have to cultivate more of the other kinds of bananas then. A variation on eating cake.

PasturesNew

Let them eat less banana cake!

The peasants are revolting.

treliac

I think we're on our own on this one Pastures. May as well give up while we're winning.

Generali

All those floods in QLD won't help with banana prices much either.

mostlycheerful

PasturesNew wrote: »

Er .. hang on, I'll make something up.

It's the economy - bananas have always been used as an affordable, readily available, fruit, full of taste and nutrition. If they disappear, or become a luxury item, everybody will die of scurvy.

So, house prices will go down, as everybody dies of scurvy
Or they will go down because people need to spend more on bananas, or buy more expensive other fruit to replace it in their fresh fruit bowls.... leaving less money for houses.

Did I win?

Edit: oh oh oh ... and, er .... they might be in the "basket of goods", so might be a contributory factor to inflation ... so might make the BofE put up rates ... which might make 3 people in Blackburn default, leading to falling house prices.

"Let them eat less banana cake!

The peasants are revolting."

Fantastic, very witty Pastures, very playful, you're on fine form at the moment. Classic. Keep it coming, perhaps collect them all up and call it Pastures' New Guide to the Universe or how about Pastures New and the Meaning of it All. Yes, I like it, in a lot of threads I skim straight through to see if you've added something and the rest of it's often only worth reading if you're on it...yes, yes...

PasturesNew

mostlycheerful wrote: »

"Let them eat less banana cake!

The peasants are revolting."

Fantastic, very witty Pastures, very playful, you're on fine form at the moment. Classic. Keep it coming, perhaps collect them all up and call it Pastures' New Guide to the Universe or how about Pastures New and the Meaning of it All. Yes, I like it, in a lot of threads I skim straight through to see if you've added something and the rest of it's often only worth reading if you're on it...yes, yes...

Stalker!!

StevieJ

PasturesNew wrote: »

Er .. hang on, I'll make something up.

It's the economy - bananas have always been used as an affordable, readily available, fruit, full of taste and nutrition. If they disappear, or become a luxury item, everybody will die of scurvy.

Let them eat oranges or like the old sailors become Limeys

Generali

StevieJ wrote: »

Let them eat oranges or like the old sailors become Limeys

Not as much vitamin c in Limes as in lemons. Don't bananas help your forehand or something?