The Banana Questions

Does fruit have any business in dessert? Can bananas really enhance the amazing taste of chocolate? Let's find out.

I confronted some serious questions: “Am I still disgusted by bananas?” “Why do some pie recipes not have any chocolate?” “Does fruit belong in desserts?”

I have a love/hate relationship with bananas. As a kid, I would eat bananas every night before I went to bed, until I got so sick of them that I went years without touching one. Six months before his 60th birthday, my dad made a request for a celebratory dessert incorporating the food I had once loved but now feared: banana cream pie.

I had a lot of planning to do as I confronted some serious questions: “Am I still disgusted by bananas?” “Why do some recipes not have any chocolate?” “Does fruit belong in desserts?” After some investigating, I can confirm the answers are “not in small, infrequent doses” “I don’t know, weird, right?” and “eh? Not terrible some of the time, but definitely unnecessary.”

The planning process to reach my goal of making my dad the most epic dessert was long and presented a lot of challenging questions, but ultimately I learned important information about myself and became a better baker.

Goal setting has never been my strong suit, largely because I have trouble visualizing myself in the future when I know so much of my life will be changing. If I have so little influence over my life, what is even the point of spending time working towards my goals?

Remote learning, however, has forced me to confront this hesitation and create detailed plans on the necessary steps I need to take to reach my academic goals while encouraging me to examine my own personal goals.

Here is my personal banana cream pie of goals:

PART 1: CRUST––Career Development:

The pie crust, made out of graham crackers, is an essential foundation for the dessert. Going into this school year, I had the goal of finding a major-related summer internship that would enable me to explore some of my interests within the environmental field. At the beginning of the year, I started reaching out to alumni working in environment-related areas to hear about their experiences after college. While I did not realize it at the time, I was actually networking and developing my skills to interview and have conversations, which is now very valuable that I am interviewing for internship positions.

When I first started classes, I did know that I was passionate about sustainability, but not much beyond that. I talked to students and became aware of a few major tracks for environmental science majors: public policy, consulting, the private sector, and NGOs. While I am really passionate about policy, starting off in this field seemed slow-paced and tedious, which was not desirable to me. Consulting could be interesting, but without being confident about my passion for a specific sector like water or energy conservation, I was not really sure if this would be a best fit for me. The corporate world could be interesting, but I did not want to feel stuck in a job that was not making a difference. And working at a non-profit made me worry about making a livable wage.

So I did not really feel like I fit into one of these categories, at least not with the knowledge I had on them. I am still continuing to learn more about these industries, but am also pushing myself to think of out-of-the-box career possibilities beyond these traditional areas. I want to combine my passion for sustainability with a meaningful job, and will continue to search for an internship that can provide me with exposure to new opportunities.

I am setting a goal of talking to four students, alumni, or companies per month, approximately one per week, in order to gain a better sense of career paths that might nourish my interests. While summer is fast approaching, I intend to continue to talk with people at this rate over the summer to help sharpen my career goals for next school year so I can have a nicely baked crust to support my banana cream pie.

PART 2: CHOCOLATE CREAM––My relationship with meat:

The chocolate cream is the richest part of this tasty treat, with simple but timely instructions. My family has always been heavy meat eaters, which is something I accepted for most of my life. Before I knew the environmental impact of my diet, I had no problem eating meat, but I started to learn more about the cruelty of the food industrial system and its environmental impact. With this new information and the meat-eating reservations that came along with it, I began to question if I even liked meat, and realized it is something I could dramatically reduce from my diet. Living at home, my mom cooks all of our dinners, which mostly consist of meat. I tried influencing what my family ate, but without the time to actually cook a full meal myself every night, I was not very successful. I convinced myself that I would explore meat alternatives and change my diet after I got on campus.

When I was confronted with a new reality, another year at home, I felt frustrated and unsure about my course of action. While I knew I wanted to change my reality, I felt powerless to do so, but started with some minor changes like meal planning and looking for new recipes. These are small starting points, but investing time into learning more about what I eat helps me feel connected to the cooking process and further appreciate eating my food.

Before I get to campus, I plan to more consistently and thoroughly plan my meals for the week each Sunday, which will also better inform my family’s shopping for the week and reduce food waste. I will reduce my consumption of meat during breakfast and lunch, since I have total control over what I eat for these meals, and try vegetarian alternatives. I will work towards reducing my meat intake to four times a week by the end of the quarter and maintain this trend throughout the summer. I also want to investigate meat-free options at UCLA so I can enjoy them when I arrive on campus. The chocolate cream is an easy part of the recipe, but requires preparation and forethought.

PART 3: CUSTARD––Unplanned Moments

This fluffy addition really draws out the flavors and lays of a bed of bananas. It’s hard to have a goal like “try new things.” Goals are supposed to be something achievable through concrete steps and plans, but having new experiences often involves a component of spontaneity. So I could follow a perfectly thought out recipe or just have a general idea of what ingredients I want to use and wing it from there. I’m used to following the thorough recipe and checking off all the steps, but there is something really thrilling about the idea of starting to bake without a plan. While trying new things is definitely something important to me, my actual goal is to maintain my sense of adventure and appreciate the unplanned moments of life.

So how do I plan to have an unplanned moment? I realize that I really cannot do much in the way of steps or measuring goals, but I can be present and check in with myself. Refusing to let myself fall into comfortable but restrictive habits is a good start. Saying “yes” to new opportunities, but only to the ones that are meaningful to me will maintain a sense of adventure. Finally, keeping an open mind and being willing to gain new experiences will help me reach my goal of spontaneous moments. By being willing to try bananas, I will be able to fully enjoy the cream pie.

PART 4: WHIPPED CREAM––Family and friends

The whipped cream on top really pulls the whole dessert together. After 14 months of the pandemic, most of my friends, family, and I have been vaccinated. With a year of their absence, one of my most meaningful goals is to spend as much time with my friends and family as possible. I intend to see friends multiple times per week by intentionally scheduling time with them, and I look forward to attending upcoming family events. To reach this goal, I need to be mindful and present. I can easily get wrapped up in school work and take my time with the most important people in my life for granted. This period without them has made me greatly appreciate my friends and family, and I intend to make the most of the rest of the time I have at home.

I missed my second cousin’s wedding earlier this year because I had two midterms that same weekend. I do not want to continue to miss these important moments in my life, which is why I am prioritizing meaningful experiences over school work, which has been my main consideration this past year. To do this, I want to practice daily reflections appreciating the most important people in my life and celebrate the time I have with them. The whipped cream is the heart and soul of the banana cream pie, and I will greatly enjoy it.

Yours Truly,

Mason