#5. THE PRICE OF ONE BANANA
In the big groceries store where I saw orchids, I looked around more just to be familiar with the kind of fruits, foods, daily-need items, and how much they cost here in New York city. I saw a sign for bananas. One piece cost 75 cents, which sounded normal to me because back 12 years ago in one food stand in the university area at the UW-Madison, one banana also cost one dolar at a retail price.
Today, a bunch of Fulbright friends went out to see the Statue of Liberty. On the island, Valerie bought a piece of banana for 54 cents a piece. To his surprise it was the price for a piece and he thought he would get a whole fingers. We talked about this during lunch and began to compare how much banana would be in our countries. In Camerun, as Valerie and Patrick confirmed, with one dolar you can get at least 20 bananas; in the most expensive remote place, you can still get at least 5 bananas. In Vietnam, Li told us that with one dollar we would at least get 25 bananas in local market; in a pretigious store in town at least you will get 5 bananas for one dollar. In Indonesia, in local market, you can get no less than 15 bananas. In an urban groceries store, good quality, well-ripened bananas sells by kilos. With one dollar, you will get 4 big bananas (cavendish, the one I saw in NYC food store) or 6 medium-size ones.
At the Statue of Liberty area, one friend also bought a 500ml-bottled water for $2.14. I have the same experience at the Tacoma International Airport in Seattle. In my country, with less than $2.00, you can buy a gallon of gasoline.
I hope this piece of experience help us adjust into and be familiar with the value of dollars and how they compare in our currency in the home countries. Believe me that it will not be easy to able to only spend $s without being able to earn them. We need a good financial management on our own. But I know. We will all be OK!!!
Hi Leo, I thought your blog posting is very interesting!! In Japan, I usually buy at about $2 for 5-6 bananas (1banana= 33-40cents). I think the biggest issue in banana production (or in any other agriculture) is that farmers in developing countries are earning so little compared to the price actually sold to consumers. A profit that farmers can earn in banana production is only few cents per kilo.
ReplyDeleteOn the other side, surprise or not, the most premier banana in Japan is sold for about $30 for 10 bananas (1banana=$3!!) This is not restraunt price, but fruit retail shop price. We cannot grow banana in Japan, so all bananas are imported bananas. What I would like to say is, if the quality control is carefully done, the banana can be sold in higher price. This means farmers to earn more profit.
Just for your information, these premier fruits are only for "gift" use and rich Chinese are the best customers for premier fruits. I just looked the preimer fruits shop in Japan, and most amazing fruit was "one mango (made in Japan)= $190". $19 is amazing already, but $190!!!! (usual Phillipine mango is about $1.5/piece)
Hello Leo. This is a great post -- very interesting. Those of us who live and work in New York know where to get 3 bananas for $1 from street vendors -- the people who sell fruit from pushcarts. Also, a street vendor on Murray Street near the St. John's Manhattan campus sells bottled water for $1. There are also a number of pizza restaurants that sell slices for $1 or $2. Of course, if you lived here, like I do, you could buy your groceries from a reasonably priced supermarket like Pathmark (not Whole Foods, which I can't afford) and get everything even more cheaply. On 34th Street and Sixth Ave. there's a discount store called Jack's that is always crowded with New Yorkers buying food and other things very cheaply. Tourists in Manhattan are on vacation and willing to pay anything that a store charges; don't judge all New York prices by what you saw near the Statue of Liberty!
ReplyDeleteMarcia Biederman