“Come, Mister tally man, tally me banana

Daylight come and me wan’ go home.”

— Harry Belafonte, Day O (Banana Song)

Mid-morning on a humid Tuesday, Half-Way-Tree is teeming with hundreds of pedestrians going about their various business. It’s another day in the life of banana vendor Shane Scott and for him, many of the fast moving passers-by are potential customers. Positioned today by the steps of the corporate office of Jamaica National Building Society, Scott stands in front of large rectangular boxes filled with firm, yellow bananas. Business is brisk, as in short order we observe quick enquiries about price, followed by immediate purchases. Three bananas, he says, retail for $50.

“It’s a lot of work,” he adds. Scott’s typical day begins just after sunrise when he heads off to the Cross Roads office of Jamaica Producers to collect an estimated 40 pounds of bananas, which he is commissioned to sell. For the next few hours, Scott will go through, on average, 20 boxes of the golden fruit — sold to potassium-loving customers.

“Due to the fact that some people don’t stop to make breakfast in the mornings, bananas are a quick meal choice,” he rationalises. “It’s a quick, on-the-go meal choice.”

The well-spoken Scott, who shares that he’s been in the banana-vending trade for the past two years, tells Thursday Food, “It helps me feed my two children, Sheldon and Sheldon Jr, and my wife Tanya.” Business, however, is not without its challenges. “Sometimes they are soft, spoilt and green bananas, but I have learnt how to deal with that,” the 24-year-old shares as he makes a quick sale to a woman en route to work.

Stating that he was deported from Houston, Texas in 2007, Scott feels he represents a contradiction of the stereotype cast on those returned to The Rock by overseas immigration officials. An enterprising man who eschews idleness, he reveals that he was a street-side clothing vendor before he began selling bananas. “The clothes weren’t selling and then I met Nerita at Jamaica Producers (JP) through a guy named Ralph who had bought a shirt from me, and she invited me to sell for JP,” he explains.

The decision to switch his trade is one he has not regretted. “I love what I do,” he declares. “It’s hard sometimes, but it’s been economically wise for me and I look forward to work every day.”