The Banana Diet and Other Tales of Folly

Perhaps there is a realm of thought that could be a considered a modern-day wives' tale. Or maybe it's a sort of superstition. And, just maybe, it is the blind leading the blind. 

Either way, I have been informed of various Japanese beliefs in certain concepts that otherwise seem completely inane to me. 

Exhibit A: The Banana Diet. This is a popular "fad" diet that many Japanese believe is an infallible way to lose weight. The concept is simple: Eat only bananas (as many as you like and may be substituted for other fruit) for breakfast accompanied with room-temperature water. Then, per usual, eat lunch and dinner and never think twice about lifting a finger; this diet requires no exercise! Are you there God, it's me, Banana. I saved Japan from metabolic syndrome. 

The diet was designed to be a weight-loss regime that is manageable and easy to incorporate into a busy lifestyle. However, within most trendy diets lies easily recognizable faults. Sure, bananas are loaded with potassium and I would never neglect a fruit because of it's high sugar content. Yet, eating a high-sugar fruit on an empty stomach after not eating for 6-8 hours spikes your blood sugar, so while you're shedding pounds by daylight, you're on a night train express to diabetes or hyperglycemia. 

But, all nutrition facts aside, the fact that a majority of women in Japan were duped to believing this was anything more than just adding some fruit to your diet is what makes me curious. In a country that boasts understanding of nutrition and a healthy lifestyle, wouldn't eating a balanced diet include fruit? I praise the fool who made himself rich off the unyielding desperation of women to try anything that claims will make them thin, and thank him for single-handedly creating a boom in the banana industry worldwide.

Another tale of folly and consequential fodder is about long fingernails. With no scientific or biological evidence (and, I actually had to do a little research on this one), people believe that naturally long fingernails indicates horniness. The longer these extended pieces of tough protein, the more pent up sexual frustration you exude. Also, the rate at which your nails grow supposedly indicates how aggressively lustful you are. 

And now my favorite. I was happy to hear that when my beau arrives, Japanese women will flock to him like bees to honeycomb...all because of his naked noggin. Balding is supposedly a sign that they are excellent physical lovers. His inadvertently tress-less tete precedes him while it screams, "I can rock your world." 

I get a constant sort of bemusement from these far-fetched claims of contemporary society. I'm keeping a journal of them if anyone's interested, but until then, I'll leave the rest to mystery.