SC - What would you do? or 2 months to freak out

[Jenne Heise]

> > Umm. I'd hate to see a possibly rare, even one-time import of some
> > bananas used to justify the use of bananas as period. 
> 
> Havent seen any updates yet refuting it. 

AFAIK, there has been no conclusive finding with regard to the banana peel.
Bananas were in use in the Middle East and Africa at the time.  In the late
15th Century, Portuguese explorers found bananas on the West Coast of Africa
and transplanted some to the Canary Islands.  In 1517, banana shoots were
transplanted from the Canaries to the New World.

Because they are extremely perishable (10 to 12 days after cutting), they
are more likely to have been used where they were grown than imported into
Europe.  The banana trade in the U.S. and Europe becomes a business only
after the advent of reliable steam transportation.

Bear