Banana

Title: Banana

General Information about Item:

  • Superstition
  • Language: English
  • Origin: Dartmouth College
  • Informant: Ben Colello
  • Date Collected: February 22, 2018

Informant Data:

  • The informant is from Sudbury, Massachusetts. He has two parents, one older brother and one twin brother. He is 21 years old and is an Environmental Studies major at Dartmouth College. He is on the track and field team at Dartmouth and hopes to become a college track and field coach after graduation. He takes his athletic career very seriously, so is careful about sleep, diet, and exercise.

Contextual Data:

  • Social Context: The informant has grown up playing sports, where he learned that the body can only perform as well as the food that you put into it. He views nutrition as an essential part of a successful athletic and academic career. Throughout his athletic career he has tried many different types of foods in order to see what his body responds best to. He has found, through word of mouth and through his own personal experience, that bananas are a great food option when it comes to athletic and academic performance. He says it gives him the energy and the focus he needs to get through a challenge.
  • Cultural Context: Sports and academics require a lot of preparation in order to be successful. One of the main components of this is diet. Diet is what makes your body and mind feel good or bad depending on what it is given. The phrase, “your body is a temple” is often used because it describes the importance of your body and what you nurious it with.

Item:

  • The informant believes he must eat a banana before any exam in order to be successful on the examination. He thinks that bananas make his mind focus better and thus result in a better score on his tests. If he does not eat a banana before the exam he believes he will fail because he will not be able to focus.

Informant’s Comments:

  • Banana are not only a great test taking snack, but they are also delicious!

Collector’s Comments:

  • I have a food superstition when eating, but it is about peanut butter rather than bananas. I do understand how eating a certain snack before an exam makes you think you will do better on the test.

Collector’s Name: Bridget Douglas

Tags/Keywords:

  • Superstition
  • Banana
  • Food