“The Bad Habits of the Banana Skin”
TR + Fruit 🍌
In the past (almost) three years of writing Missing Pieces, I’ve had the opportunity to research so many fun topics and find compelling images to accompany the writing. I was truly captivated by the images of cherries from the US Department of Agriculture for the February issue about cherry bounce, and I knew it wouldn’t be the last time I used images from that collection.
In honor of National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month in June and National Eat Your Fruits and Vegetables Day in May, I’m delighted to examine pomology in this issue of Missing Pieces. It will be the first Missing Pieces issue inspired by an image instead of by a letter or a book. And there will be plenty of beautiful images from the USDA collection—many of them drawn by women.
You can find fun anecdotes about fruit throughout the Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. I’ve mentioned some of the fruits found in the collection in previous issues like enormous strawberries, delicious peaches, and Christmas oranges.
In researching this issue, I combed the library for everything about fruit. I discovered that apricots were a godsend to Edith Roosevelt, TR’s wife, after she suffered a serious fall from a horse in 1911, resulting in a concussion that permanently altered her sense of smell. Martin Madison had sent the Roosevelts a basket of fruit, and apricots were “almost the first things [Edith] could taste.”
I also discovered a touching letter from TR to a “dear little friend,” Margaret Walson, thanking her for the apple she sent and sending four roses in return. In an April 1906 letter to his son Kermit, TR also mentions sitting by the apple trees near the White House.
“The apple trees are now coming into bloom, including that big arched apple tree, under which Mother and I sit, by the fountain, on the stone bench. It is the apple tree that Mother particularly likes.”
In addition to Margaret Walson’s apple, TR received fruit as gifts from many others during his presidency and beyond. As one example, Senator Jonathan Bourne of Oregon regularly sent Oregon apples and pears to TR, sometimes including directions for proper care of the fruit for the best eating as was the case in a 1910 letter.
“I have instructed the Merchants Refrigerating Company of New York to send you, expressage prepaid, a box of these [Oregon Comice] pears which I trust Mrs. Roosevelt and you will accept with my compliments. After you receive same, suggest you place box in a cool, dark room and after five to ten days feel them to see if they have begun to mellow and as soon as they mellow, begin to eat as they hold their perfection only a few days.”
But perhaps my favorite comment about fruit came from an article by TR in Ladies’ Home Journal, which was ostensibly about reading, but TR managed to include a fruit reference: “I like apples, pears, oranges, pineapples and peaches. I dislike bananas, alligator pears and prunes.”
A small side note. If you’re like me, you might not know what an alligator pear is. When I looked it up, it turns out that it’s an avocado. It’s rather funny to me that TR spent time in the tropics, but never was able to enjoy avocados or bananas—two staples in my diet.
As funny as TR’s quotation about fruit is, by far the best story I discovered was when TR declared war on banana peels as police commissioner in 1896. Given TR’s vehemence against bananas later on in his life, I wonder if he developed his dislike for the fruit during this time.
As one headline in the February 9, 1896 issue of the New York Times stated, “War on the Banana Skin: Mr. Roosevelt Orders a Prohibitory Ordinance Enforced.” TR talked to captains, sergeants, and roundsmen from a variety of police stations “pointedly about the prevalence of banana skins in the streets on the east side.”
He insisted that the streets needed to be kept clear not only from banana peels but also from apple skins and potato skins, noting “the bad habits of the banana skin” and “dwelling particularly on its tendency to toss people into the air and bring them down with terrific force on the hard pavement.”
Thanks to the efforts of TR and others, the streets in New York City were cleaned up, and we don’t have to worry about slipping on banana peels today! So in honor of fruit and vegetables and in appreciation of clean, banana-free streets, I’d encourage you to buy your favorite fruit—banana or otherwise—and celebrate the good habits of fruit that come from eating it.
What’s your favorite fruit? Unfortunately, the poll doesn’t allow for unlimited options—there are so many great fruits to choose from!—so I decided to use TR’s five favorites.
I would have voted apple 🍎.
I had never heard of "alligator pear" before!