"To understand the true quality of people, you must look into their minds, and examine their pursuits and aversions."
- Marcus Aurelius
What does experimenting with IMBB 12: Food Taboos reveal about our own "true qualities" ? What do our taboos or dislikes have to tell us about ourselves? In my case, I think the jury's still out. In any case, kudos to Carlo of my latest supper for hosting this unusual edition of everybody's favorite food meme.
This is my first IMBB, since my blog isn't even a month old. I've got to admit that the theme is quite a challenge. At first I thought about experimenting on my heart's companion, the enigmatic yet loveable G. I thought about all the things he doesn't like to eat. But short of torturing him with an onion-olive-avocado-mushroom sandwich (I know, it sounds good to me too), I couldn't come up with a suitable experiment. And I didn't even want to try to get him to agree to it. He probably would have eventually; he's very good-natured. But he puts up with a fair amount, and does a lot of dishes, so I figured I'd let him off the hook. His suggestion was that we trick my vegetarian sister-in-law into eating meat, and even offered to help. I gently explained that hoodwinking someone into eating a taboo food was not exactly the spirit of the idea.
So I had to go with something I wouldn't like. I've done unusual meat -- I've eaten guinea pig in Peru, etc. I hate offal, but I simply couldn't get myself to go find a butcher that would provide me with brains or kidneys (not to mention the risk of prions, mad cow, etc). I figured that even if I could bring myself to actually buy the stuff, I would then spend a lot of time trying to find an appealing way to cook this awful offal. I would still hate it, G would hate it, and we would end up wasting time, money and effort since the repugnant resulting dish could only end in the trash.
There are not a lot of foods that I hate. I'm a pretty brave taster, and am willing to go with unusual combinations and try new things. There's just one sort of nice, homey, everyday food that everyone else seems to like, but which I simply loathe.
Banana cake or bread: I just hate it, I don't know why. I don't hate bananas. I'm fond of them in cereal or yogurt; I love chocolate ice-cream with sliced bananas. I even like some forms of cooked bananas -- sweet fried bananas or maduros are great, and I love Bananas Foster -- as long as there's no banana extract or banana liquor or anything that has that concentrated banana oil smell. That's what gets me, that smell-taste of concentrated banana oil that you find in banana baked goods or banana-flavored items. It just makes me want to gag.
But why not conquer this irrational abhorrence? Then I could join the happy hordes of those who rave over Nigella's banana bread. I could go to bake sales without a surgical mask. I could attend my graduate class end-of-term potlucks without having to pretend to eat some hapless student's banana loaf, proudly shown off and generally described as a treasured family recipe which is then offered to me. I usually make polite, non-committal noises, hoping that my shudders are not noticeable while thinking that it would be really sad if they were trying to bump up their grades this way.
While not exactly a phobia or maybe even a true taboo, it seemed to me that an antipathy like this fit the necessary criteria for the challenge. I decided that this would be my culinary bête noire to play with for IMBB. I figured that at the very least, even if I hated what I made, G would eat it since banana baked goods are not one of his aversions.
I found a lovely recipe for Banana Maple Upside Down Cake, by that inimitably wonderful Aussie cook Bill Granger. What's not to like? I like upside-down cake. I like maple syrup a lot. I like bananas when they're not in cake. Maybe if they were trapped in yummy maple-caramel they would taste like Bananas Foster and wouldn't pollute the cake part with the banana smell. And at least it 's an easy cake; it wouldn't take too much time or work.
As you can see, I was making a sincere effort to set this up so that it might be something I'd like. I was really trying to meet banana cake at least halfway. But to be honest, I did have a sneaking suspicion about the outcome. And there was a factor which only added to the trauma of cooking something I was pretty sure I wouldn't like. Due to time constraints, I was baking this cake on my birthday, when I would have much preferred to be baking the Chocolate Trianon Cake that Bakerina posted the other day.
It came out perfectly well, the bananas glazed in their lovely maple coating. The cake was light and beautifully risen. I plated it with strawberries, crème fraîche and banana slices. I took pictures.
I hated it. I hated it on my birthday, when I served it warm from the oven as Bill Granger suggests. I ate an entire (albeit slim) slice, just to give it a fair chance. I hated the smell of it yesterday, and I hated it tonight, when I cut a nice big wedge for G to have with his tea. It has exactly that particular scent and flavor that I loathe about banana bread and cake.
But the banana slices dipped in crème fraîche were absolutely delicioius.
But it looks amazing!
I bet it tasted good as well, I'm going to make this soon...
Posted by: Ernie | February 20, 2005 at 02:51 AM
Ernie,
G likes it -- although not as much as he likes your chocolate-espresso cake!
Posted by: Julie | February 20, 2005 at 04:18 AM
Thanks for warning me never to bring bannana bread to work! I still make my mother's recipe when some bannanas get too ripe to eat. Your cake looks fab. Too bad you didn't like it.
Posted by: Gina | February 20, 2005 at 06:40 PM
Julie, you're too kind! I'm glad G liked it.
Posted by: Ernie | February 20, 2005 at 08:48 PM
Poor Julie,
Sorry you were traumatised by this cake (I had no idea, about your aversion BTW.) It does look fab, and at least your other half enjoyed it, saves you from throwing it away! Great blog, julie.
What does IMBB stand for, anyway?
C.
Posted by: Caroline | February 21, 2005 at 02:38 AM
The one thing I dislike about banana anything is when they add the artificial flavoring to the product. Other than that...hmmmm....it's probably better than guinea pig in Peru!!!!! What's that all about?? I hope'll indulge us one day...
No fair that you had to suffer through this on your very own birthday!! All the same, brava on your efforts!!!
Posted by: rowena | February 21, 2005 at 11:22 AM
Thanks for your empathy, all!
Ernie -- that chocolate-espresso cake was (and still is) amazing! I'm going to post about it in the next part of my birthday round-up.
Gina -- you can bring banana bread to work, and even have it in the office -- but at least now you won't be offended if I don't try any. I hope you're having a great time in Germany...
Caroline -- IMBB stands for Is My Blog Burning? which is a monthly event in which food bloggers and anyone else who'd like to participate can agree to cook something around a particular theme. The person who's "hosting" the event does a "round up" on their blog so everyone knows where to look to see all the entries. Try googling Is My Blog Burning? and you'll find a site where all of it is archived.
Rowena -- someday I'll tell you my guinea pig story -- it would fit very well into this edition of IMBB, since it's all about the fact that one culture's taboo is another culture's great delicacy. But it happened long ago and far away...
Posted by: Julie | February 21, 2005 at 01:39 PM
Julie - lovely posting (although I don't get how you can not like cooked bananas - my spouse cooked bananas in hot butter and brown sugar the very evening we met for me - I had already made her a vinegar fish curry and a whole pile of other stuff - so cooked bananas are very important!)
Welcome to the food blogging world!
Posted by: Owen | February 22, 2005 at 01:36 PM
Owen -- I love sauteed or fried bananas, just like the ones you describe. I just can't stand them in cake or bread, for some strange unknowable reason...
Posted by: Julie | February 22, 2005 at 01:49 PM
I know it's wrong to laugh at another's misfortune, Julie - especially if it occurred on her birthday - but that was too funny! So sorry you weren't converted by what sounds like an intriguing cake.
You were very brave and noble to do the experiment! You're a better [wo]man than I, Gunga Dinn!
-Elizabeth
P.S. Great idea to put sliced bananas into creme fraiche!
Posted by: ejm | February 22, 2005 at 06:30 PM
hi julie! this is my first time here. i was looking online for bill granger's recipe for this cake, as i just made it this morning. i haven't tried it yet, but if you'll wait a bit i'll have my post up later today on it. sorry it worked out badly for you on your birthday--you're brave to try something so uncertain on your day.
Posted by: santos | February 22, 2005 at 10:06 PM
Elizabeth, I know you're laughing with me -- I found a lot of humor in the situation, trust me!
Santos, I'm so glad you came for a "visit", since I'm a great admirer of your blog! Hope you like the cake -- I'm sure I would love it made with any other fruit.
Posted by: Julie | February 22, 2005 at 10:26 PM
ah, so i had a slice of the cake, and i totally see your point about the noxious 'nana scent. it's the type of bananas used, i'm convinced of it. if you can find a different variety of banana (look for apple/finger/manila bananas in latino shops), i think you might find them more palatable. not so stinky.
Posted by: santos | February 22, 2005 at 10:45 PM
Yay! It's not just me! I am not alone! I love the little bananas, and I live in Spanish Harlem which abounds with Latino shops, so I'll give them a try.
Posted by: Julie | February 22, 2005 at 11:01 PM
Try the Banana Cake at Hearth. Served with Chocolate Sorbet,and with a very light marscapone frosting. It might change your mind!
Posted by: MichaelZ | February 23, 2005 at 10:01 AM
Thanks for the tip on Hearth, Michael -- I went to the website and it definitely looks like a beautiful little restaurant that I'd very much like to try. However, given a choice of desserts in a restaurant, I must confess that I think it highly unlikely that I will ever choose banana baked goods. At this point, I'm more or less content to have one or two things that I simply don't eat -- it's still a pretty full life even without banana bread! I'm not bent on conquering this distaste -- I was merely playing with it for the sake of the IMBB challenge.
Love the chocolate sorbet and mascarpone frosting, though -- maybe I could just have those ;-D
Posted by: Julie | February 23, 2005 at 10:44 AM
I, too, hate the treacly sweet smell of banana bread. Ugh. Give me a loaf of zucchini bread with orange zest any day...or a nice toasted slice of pumpkin bread with cream cheese on top. But banana bread? No thanks!
Posted by: lisa | February 25, 2005 at 04:41 PM
Exactly! Zucchini bread, carrot cake, pumpkin muffins -- all these I love, and variations on them as well -- just leave out the bananas.
Posted by: Julie | February 25, 2005 at 04:51 PM
where do you find the recipe?
Posted by: :( | March 02, 2005 at 03:35 PM
Hi :( (interesting name!)
The recipe is in the Bill Granger Cookbook "Bills Open Kitchen".
Posted by: Julie | March 02, 2005 at 04:34 PM
i'm craving for the banana upside down bill granger cake ... will u share the recipe :) .... ive got his book back in my hometown ... and i couldnt find it his online recipe .... thank u ...
your picture makes me drooling .....:)
Posted by: bonita | March 08, 2010 at 02:38 AM
breakfast truly is the best. It may be crazy, but as much as I adore all things bready and eggy, I also really love leftover pahd thai for breakfast!
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Maple and bananas in a cake.... mmmm..
It sounds great!!.. Banana Maple Upside Down Cake!
But it's true, I don't like banana break either.. and it's becuse of the smell.. Too concentrated doesn't seem to be good
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Posted by: miami air conditioning | March 25, 2011 at 12:41 PM
If you can find a different variety of banana (look for apple/finger/manila bananas in latino shops), i think you might find them more palatable. not so stinky.
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