Bananas in Lilliput?
It is possible that I and everyone I know have been peeling bananas from the more difficult end all these years. Monkeys, it seems, peel from what we humans call the bottom end. This article by an economist tackles the issue. (Calling it an “issue” tickles me just as much as the article did.)
An excerpt:
Petal’s method is counterintuitive and thus instantly appealing to economists, who love nothing more than to overturn conventional wisdom. Multiple experiments (well, two experiments, actually, since we only had two bananas) quickly convinced a majority of the department that Petal’s way is—surprisingly—easier than the traditional method, though the econometricians thought you’d need to test at least 30 bananas to report that result with confidence. The labor economists immediately resolved to apply for a grant.
So what are you: a Top-Endian or a Bottom-Endian?
Tags: bananas
kristen says:
Personally, I find that I like anything to do with monkeys.
On April 25, 2006 at 10:34 am
christie says:
I actually like to snap it in half and peel from the middle!
I discovered the technique after wasting countless bananas during toddler snack time. Now I waste only half a banana at a time, and I peel my own this way as well, because there is something deeply satisfying about snapping a banana in half. Just do it quickly or you’ll end up with mush.
On April 25, 2006 at 8:14 pm
Kathryn says:
I tried it yesterday. The monkeys are right.
On April 25, 2006 at 11:56 pm