Just a thought that I had recently. In many parts of the world, people cook bananas when they are unripe, and in other parts of the world, people eat "dessert" bananas (e.g. Cavendish types) when they get yellow but not yet spotty. Do kids today know what a ripe banana is?

Well, if "yellow but not yet spotty" isn't ripe to you, then maybe a lot of kids haven't eaten a "ripe" banana.

However, I think most of us have eaten bananas that are past ripe, instead of throwing them out. Maybe that's what you mean?

I don't know, because you didn't define what you think a ripe banana is, you just asked if kids don't know what one is.

Yeah one of my sons won’t touch them till they’re spotty

Ripe is when the starches have converted to sugars as much as possible but there is not yet any significant fermentation. In Cavendish subgroup bananas, this generally occurs when the peel has numerous brown spots on it. Some bananas (plantains) are totally black when ripe. Some don't change colour after turning yellow, and ripeness must be judged by softness...

Fruit-eating kids seem to be smarter than average...

A couple of times they’ve been gone at the tips

Cake status. He doesn’t care though.

I've eaten bananas at all stages, from tough green plant matter to get you drunk for eating it brown. My favorite is when it is still partly green and not browning.

wait what. get you drunk?

im usually not happy if any green is present and it should not be stiff.

I dunno about drunk, but I've definitely had a few violently ripe bananas where I could actually taste the alcohol

yeah but he said green???

Medium-rare or well-done or gtfo