Yes! We Have Bananas

Bananas. Yes, we have bananas! Two actually. Lucky us.

Muahaha! Two, two bananas!

I remember a high-school teacher professing to us that in our lifetime, bananas would become extinct. I recall something about the seeds being played with too much, changing the genetic code so that they would not be able to grow in the changing conditions. Something like that. For many people, this story was a frightening nightmare, a world without bananas. I just shrugged. What was the big deal? Bananas, gross. Mushy, furry tasting things. Good riddance.

You know what bananas have done for me lately? Aside from making a lovely cake for a coworker? They've got a song stuck in my head that I can only remember 2 lines of. "We've got no bananas today."

"Yes! We Have No Bananas" is the title of a novelty song by Frank Silver and Irving Cohn from the 1922 Broadway revue Make It Snappy. Sung by Eddie Cantor in the revue, the song became a major hit in 1923 (placing number 1 for five weeks)^[1] when it was recorded by Billy Jones, Arthur Hall, Irving Kaufman, and others. It was covered later by Benny Goodman and his Orchestra, Spike Jones & His City Slickers, and many more." Sourced from Wikipedia, the answer to all of my odd queries.

Does this ring any bells to you? Apparently, there are a couple of theories for this song. One, being a banana shortage in Brazil, another being a cartoonist coined the phrase.

Whatever the inspiration for the song, here are the lyrics so that you can sing this out loud to everyone you know. Or, preferably for everyone else, to yourself, while you bake with bananas.

Folk Song written By: Frank Silver and Irving Cohn (1923)

There's a fruit store on our street
It's run by a Greek.
And he keeps good things to eat
But you should hear him speak!

When you ask him anything, he never answers "no".
He just "yes"es you to death,
And as he takes your dough, he tells you...

"Yes! We have no bananas
We have no bananas today!!
We have string beans and onions, cabBAges and scallions
And all kinds of fruit and say
We have an old fashioned toMAHto
A Long Island poTAHto, but

Yes! We have no bananas
We have no bananas today!"

Business got so good for him that he wrote home today,
"Send me Pete and Nick and Jim; I need help right away."
When he got them in the store, there was fun, you bet.
Someone asked for "sparrow grass"
and then the whole quartet
All answered:

"Yes, we have no bananas
We have-a no bananas today.
Just try those coconuts
Those wall-nuts and doughnuts
There ain't many nuts like they.
We'll sell you two kinds of red herring,
Dark brown, and ball-bearing.
But yes, we have no bananas
We have no bananas today."

YouTube this song and enjoy!

You already know my love-hate relationship with bananas so these ones were purchased solely for baking purposes. Only one question remained: what should these bananas become? Bread, muffins, maybe some ice cream? I had already done banana bran muffins and since Saturday was becoming pancake breakfast day, I decided that the leftover fresh blueberries should join the party. Banana blueberry pancakes, mmmm. I mashed them up for Saturday, but it was not to be. We had to help with a move and the pancakes had to wait until this morning. They were worth the wait.

If you have never made homemade pancakes, my question to you is, why not? They are easy, quick, and use ingredients that most people would have in their pantry and fridge. Flour, baking powder and soda, salt, mashed bananas, milk, vinegar, vanilla (I used rum extract), an egg. You can find great recipes all over the Internet but here are a couple of tips for making them turn out puffy and perfect. Mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate bowls. Then, mix them together until just combined. Let the batter sit for at least 5 minutes. Use a ladle to gently spoon the batter into a hot non-stick pan. A flat griddle works best, it's easiest to flip the pancake on.

Blueberry banana pancakes

When the batter is on the griddle, drop the blueberries onto the soft raw tops. Don't push them down. Wait until bubbles begin to form and the edges look firmer. Carefully get a spatula underneath the pancake and flip. The goal is to drop the pancake on the raw side, so that the whole surface of the pancake hits the pan at the same time.

Fresh blueberries

Are you one of those people that when you BBQ a burger, you feel the need to press down on the meat with a flipper to try and cook it faster? Well, don't! Also, don't do that with pancakes. The heat from the griddle will cook the batter through the center without you crushing their delicate little bodies. Trust me. This is where making sure bubbles are forming on the top is crucial. Once they are flipped, leave them for about 30 seconds then transfer them to room temperature plates, or ones that have been heated in the microwave for about 15 seconds. Serve hot, with whatever you like on them. I'm a fan of sugar-free maple syrup.

Pancakes, about done.