Who Knew a Country Could Run Out of Bananas?

I’m not so great at baking, but the other day I finally set my face towards making some banana bread for a friend who really loves it. Her birthday was coming up soon, so I wanted try my hand (for only the second time in Djibouti) at baking. I found a simple recipe and everything I needed, except the star ingredient—bananas. That morning at the market, I noticed that prices were a little higher than normal and that bananas, the most populous fruit in Djibouti, were strangely missing. Not a single vendor had any. My houseworker and I walked around and asked. Apparently, eastern Ethiopia had some flooding issues, so the train that usually brings us fruit and vegetables from our more bountiful neighbor was delayed—hence the scarcity of bananas. “But they’re so common” I thought to myself. “Even if the train was delayed, surely there must be some bananas somewhere in Djibouti.” I was wrong. I scoured the downtown market where you can always find bananas. There were a few apples, grapes and dates, but not one single banana. The entire country was out. I knew stores and shops and markets could run out of things, but an entire country? Needless to say, my friend had to wait a little while for that banana bread.