Bananatastic Plastic! Banana Bio-Plastic Made By Young Girl

Banana Soft Sculptures designed by Xhico

A young girl in Turkey decided to take my favorite fruit and try to make a bio-plastic. With a few bananas and a mini laboratory, she was able to do just that! Watch the video as she turns a banana peel in a piece of plastic that is usable in applications such as wiring and artificial limbs.

BUY A BANANA BY XHICO 

I'm Going Bananas for My New Business Cards

Business Cards designed by Xhico

As you may know, I'm not only a foodie, but I'm also a artist, graphic designer, brand consultant and certified weirdo. While I was in Mexico City, I took some of my free time to design myself some new business cards. I started with drawing my banana illustrations at the coffee shop one day. I found out the neighborhood where to get printing done. With my thumb drive in hand I stepped out of the Chabacano Metro station into a neighborhood that is a graphic designer's delight. The smell of ink wafting out of print shops that lined the streets as I passed by looking at all of my options to choose a printer. They were everywhere. Blocks and blocks of off-set, digital, silkscreen, stamp-makers, paper cutters, swag marketing, sign making lined the streets. I remember walking by three woman hand assembling fancy marketing brochures and they were all having such a wonderful time at their jobs. I finally decided on a small booth to do my printing. They would only take a few days, I could get my satin finish and it would cost a mere $140 Mexican pesos.

Let me know what you think about my banana designs. Original banana drawings and soft-sculptures by me are now available online. Please check out my shop and buy a banana!

Whistle of the Camote Man in Mexico City

(Xhico in Mexico)

Some people find the sound of the Camote Man irritating. But the loud shriek  has me run out the door like Pavlov's dogs. 

Camote (sweet potato) covered in lechera

It seems to be one of life's cruelest tricks it likes to play on me. I hear the loud whistle and run outside into the cold, rainy Mexico City nights. Only to realize that he may still be blocks away. Then I wait patiently to hear the sound again. When the steam engine blows I can then tell which direction to start walking. Eventually, the smell of the wood burning fire gets stronger and I see a plume of smoke. Where there's smoke there's camotes.

Plantain, steamed and covered in lechera and cinnamon

Camotes are sweet potatoes. The sweet round belly bombs are smoked along the side of plantains in a steam engine that is pushed through the streets if Mexico City. The hot, mushy snacks have a smokey flavor imparted by the wood burned in the fire. They are then covered in "lechera" (sweetened condensed milk) and sprinkled with cinnamon. The plantains have quickly become one of my favorite street foods in Mexico.

Steam engine of the Camote Man

Fruit in Colombia: Plantains & Bananas

Bananas for sale at local market in Colombia

Plantains and bananas play an important role as fruit in Colombia. Yes, they are different. Plantains or Platanos as they call them in Colombia are much bigger than bananas. Bananas are smaller and sweeter. Plantains are bigger and are used both green (unripened) and yellow. When they are used green in their unripe state, they are firmer and have a more bitter taste. If they are yellow to brown, they are ripe and have a much sweeter flavor.

Bananas growing at Hacienda Guayabal outside of Chinchina, Colombia

Green plantains for sale

When I was in Armenia, Colombia, we were walking to the park one morning and came across this guy selling grilled plantains. As I walked by I could smell the sweet roasted smell and had to turn around to get one. I was so glad I did. They guy cut the the warm plantain down the middle and smothered it in butter. It was one of the best things I've ever eaten. The sweet taste of plantain in melted butter was like a dessert party in my mouth.  Definitely one of my favorite street foods in Colombia.

Preparing my Platano on streets of Armenia, Colombia

Grilled plantain, best ever.

Charred and sweetened to perfection

Grilled sweet plantain smothered in butter. Delicious!

When I was in Barranquilla, I was first introduced to Plantain chips on the streets. They are thinly sliced plantains fried to a crisp chip. They are slightly sweet and totally delicious and addicting. They were a frequent snack on the streets of Colombia.

Plantain chips on sale at the Barranquilla Carnaval Parade

Plantain chips at the Carnaval Parade... just waiting to be eaten.

Yum! Plantain chips, a delicious snack in Colombia

Green plantains are a staple of the Colombian diet, especially along the Caribbean coast where they are used to make Patacones. I even had one stuffed with chicken. The green plantains are less sweet and very firm. So firm that they used a double cooking technique to make them easier to eat. 

One day on the Island of Barú on Playa Blanca off the shore of Cartagena, we met a woman named Maria. This is your introduction to her, as I will be blogging about her more soon. Maria made us an amazing feast on the beach. She made us some fresh fish and fresh homemade patacones on the the beach. We enjoyed her delicious meal on the white sands looking out at the turquoise waters.

Green plantains, whole in the peel

Sliced green plantains ready to be cooked

First, slices of green plantains are fried in oil

Then the cooked slices are pressed flat in a hand press to form a patty

Maria fries the green plantains a second time

Maria prepares the fried fish and patacones for us to eat on the beach

Patacones (fried green plantains) served with fish

Art & Food: Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer"

Peter Gabriel gets his fruits and vegetables in the 80's classic, "Sledgehammer".

One of my favorite videos of all time is Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer". This innovative video always inspired me as child to want to make music videos. The stop motion animation is incredible. I love the cotton candy hair, the banana that peels when it goes in and out his ear and of course the dancing chickens!