Where did Grace get the banana fruit? (and why give it to Jake?)

[Mithcoriel]

The scene where Jake's in his avatar for the first time, and Grace throws him a purple fruit, seems harmless enough.

Until you read in the ASG that that fruit, called the banana fruit, is extremely rare, found only in the highest parts of trees, and if a Na'vi is ever lucky enough to find one, they take it back home to show it off, and it's good form to offer the fruit to a loved one, but it's also good form for that person to refuse the fruit and give it back to the person who found it. Accepting the fruit and eating it is extremely rude.

So, Jake's actually lucky he wasn't in a Na'vi tribe when this happened to him, as he was actually doing something extremely impolite by Na'vi standards. I wonder if that was why Grace was laughing?

But also: where did Grace get this fruit? I always assumed that, since the place they're standing in looks like a plantation, she just ripped it off a random bush that was nearby. But no, they grow high in the trees. So she must have been deliberately carrying it around. And why does she give it away so easily? Do you think she, being a human, had a way to come by these fruits better than Na'vi usually do? Maybe cause humans have helicopters? (But no...Na'vi have Ikran too..) And/Or cause she's the expert on Pandoran flora?
And why give this valuable fruit to Jake, the newbie whom she, back then, still considered an annoyance? Are we to assume that at least Norm got one too?

[Tsa'räni]

I would say you're probably reading too much into it.

We don't know how much information is 100% accurate in the ASG.  There's no way to know how much was written prior to the movie, and when it came time to shoot, changes were made on set for whatever reason.  And Cameron isn't above mistakes - it could just be an oversight.  Or they could grow them and keep them around because they're really tasty to the avatars and Grace decided, "Damnit, we're going to have these things around because they're yummy and that's that'."

[Mithcoriel]

Well, wether Cameron made a mistake, or they changed their mind about stuff in the movie (stuff that happened in our world) and wether or not Grace gave Jake a rare fruit (stuff that happened in the world of Avatar) are two separate things. So I don't see how taking the movie and ASG at face value is reading too much into it.

I know the ASG is supposed to be not 100% accurate, but where would the fictional authors get this really complex idea about how Na'vi offer the fruit to each other and how they make jokes pretending to accept it only to give it back untouched, if it's all not true? Not to mention, I still don't think Cameron is gonna release a book full of misinformation. I'm guessing the ASG is more accurate than it pretends to be, and it only pretends to be uncertain cause that adds to the story of it being written by simple sawtute and "illegally distributed".

Well, you provided an answer there. Maybe they grew em. But are you sure they have such huge trees in their plantations?

[Tsa'räni]

While they're separate things, they pertain to your comments.  They are all explanations for how what we saw in the movie compares to what is in the ASG.

And I wasn't referring to the idea that the ASG is intentionally inaccurate.  What I meant was that we have no way of knowing when it was written and if information has been changed since then.  If much of it was thought up prior to the movie, it's entirely possible some of it changed while they were shooting.  Directors often find that what looks good on paper doesn't stack up once they're on the set and working with the information hands on, so to speak.

I'm not sure regarding the trees.  It's speculation, just like 99% of all material posted here.  All I'm doing is offering other possible explanations.

So like I said, in my mind you are reading too much into it and one of these other explanations is more likely.

[Col Quaritch]

Prop department

[Kaltxì Palulukan!]

The scene where Jake's in his avatar for the first time, and Grace throws him a purple fruit, seems harmless enough.

Until you read in the ASG that that fruit, called the banana fruit, is extremely rare, found only in the highest parts of trees, and if a Na'vi is ever lucky enough to find one, they take it back home to show it off, and it's good form to offer the fruit to a loved one, but it's also good form for that person to refuse the fruit and give it back to the person who found it. Accepting the fruit and eating it is extremely rude.

So, Jake's actually lucky he wasn't in a Na'vi tribe when this happened to him, as he was actually doing something extremely impolite by Na'vi standards. I wonder if that was why Grace was laughing?

But also: where did Grace get this fruit? I always assumed that, since the place they're standing in looks like a plantation, she just ripped it off a random bush that was nearby. But no, they grow high in the trees. So she must have been deliberately carrying it around. And why does she give it away so easily? Do you think she, being a human, had a way to come by these fruits better than Na'vi usually do? Maybe cause humans have helicopters? (But no...Na'vi have Ikran too..) And/Or cause she's the expert on Pandoran flora?
And why give this valuable fruit to Jake, the newbie whom she, back then, still considered an annoyance? Are we to assume that at least Norm got one too?

No, I think you have a point. I have read the ASG, and I should have thought of this. Technowraith would be the man to ask. he has seen Avatar 500 times (or maybe 40). This is a GOOD POINT. Of course I have no answer. Thanks for bringing it up. Cookie for you. I may use this on the podcast.

[Rolyu]

I wondered about the fruit as well, but looking at a picture of the banana fruit in the ASG, that purple and rather round squishy thing she threw at him didn't really match up.  It looked more like it was shaped and textured like an orange. The banana fruit looked more like a purplish brown (eggplant)? In shape at least.

[Txur’Itan]

Spoiler

The scene where Jake's in his avatar for the first time, and Grace throws him a purple fruit, seems harmless enough.

Until you read in the ASG that that fruit, called the banana fruit, is extremely rare, found only in the highest parts of trees, and if a Na'vi is ever lucky enough to find one, they take it back home to show it off, and it's good form to offer the fruit to a loved one, but it's also good form for that person to refuse the fruit and give it back to the person who found it. Accepting the fruit and eating it is extremely rude.

So, Jake's actually lucky he wasn't in a Na'vi tribe when this happened to him, as he was actually doing something extremely impolite by Na'vi standards. I wonder if that was why Grace was laughing?

But also: where did Grace get this fruit? I always assumed that, since the place they're standing in looks like a plantation, she just ripped it off a random bush that was nearby. But no, they grow high in the trees. So she must have been deliberately carrying it around. And why does she give it away so easily? Do you think she, being a human, had a way to come by these fruits better than Na'vi usually do? Maybe cause humans have helicopters? (But no...Na'vi have Ikran too..) And/Or cause she's the expert on Pandoran flora?
And why give this valuable fruit to Jake, the newbie whom she, back then, still considered an annoyance? Are we to assume that at least Norm got one too?

No, I think you have a point. I have read the ASG, and I should have thought of this. Technowraith would be the man to ask. he has seen Avatar 500 times (or maybe 40). This is a GOOD POINT. Of course I have no answer. Thanks for bringing it up. Cookie for you. I may use this on the podcast.

The ASG is referring to the Push Fruit, it is not called out in the film, and the old script may not be referring to the same thing Jake Had in his hand.  More or less, the ASG may at best be looked at with a grain of salt on every topic, or at worst be completely disregarded.

These links are referencing the ASG for the Na'vi names and literal translations, and I think the 2007 ASG or the script for the English translation.

http://james-camerons-avatar.wikia.com/wiki/Push_Fruit_Tree
http://james-camerons-avatar.wikia.com/wiki/Banana_Fruit

In the film, they have an obvious garden, and Grace effortlessly extracts a fruit from one of the plants and tosses it to him.  No Discussion is had on the matter.  Grace may have become spoiled by having ready access to this rare fruiting plant, or she may have just wanted to entice Jake with the wonders she saw in this word she felt connected to (baiting a hook) as it were.

I wondered about the fruit as well, but looking at a picture of the banana fruit in the ASG, that purple and rather round squishy thing she threw at him didn't really match up.  It looked more like it was shaped and textured like an orange. The banana fruit looked more like a purplish brown (eggplant)? In shape at least.

Yep, that could be because the ASG is incorrect, or she did not give a Push fruit to Jake.

[Kaltxì Palulukan!]

Well, there is that: she threw a round purple thing at him. I don't see how round and purple=banana, but I should check my ASG.

[Txontaw]

That's what I was going to say. There's nothing that says that that fruit was a banana fruit, and it says that the banana fruit is found at the top of tall trees, not short plants.

Why would she deliberately carry around a fruit just to "rip" it off of a plant and give it to him. That would suggest that she wanted to trick him into eating it, which goes against her character.

[Kayrìlien]

That would suggest that she wanted to trick him into eating it, which goes against her character.

This is the woman who came close to "force-feeding a cripple", right? Of course, that's later on in the movie, but I'm just saying...I wouldn't put it past her. 

Kayrìlien

[Technowraith]

Having read the ASG and seen the movie 57 times, i've come to the conclusion that the fruit in question is not a banana fruit. This is my personal opinion nd shouldn't be taken as canon in any way. Yeah, i practically memorized the movie and ASG, but i'm not perfect either. Anyway, here's what i'm thinking:

The Avatar's obviously have a garden outside, to supplement their diet of native food. The description of the Banana fruit in the ASG doesn't match the fruit shown in the movie. And the obvious location of the fruit is  a dead give-away. It's obvious jake liked what grace threw at him. Many fruits have a sweet, pleasant taste. I don't think the producers would make such a huge change to the banana fruit lore/ecology. That would be a huge mistake in my opinion. Others have said it may not be a banana fruit, which i'm thinking myself to be the conclusion here.

[Rolyu]

That aside, it looked delicious!  I want a bite.  I bet after eating a life-time of synthesized carbohydrates that fruit tastes pretty amazing.

[Kaltxì Palulukan!]

I summoned Technowraith!

"Beetlejuice!" 

[Mithcoriel]

For those who more or less asked why I assumed it was a banana fruit: I know it isn't called by name in the movie. I'm basing it off visual memory. The picture in the ASG looks like what I think I remember the fruit looked like in the move.

Why would she deliberately carry around a fruit just to "rip" it off of a plant and give it to him. That would suggest that she wanted to trick him into eating it, which goes against her character.

I don't quite get what you're trying to say, though. Are you saying Grace got the fruit from its rare location at the top of a tree, but pretended to pick it off a nearby bush to make it seem to Jake like it was easy to come by? No, of course I don't believe that. Either she got it from a high tree or she got it from that plantation, I don't think she was hiding anything. And what do you mean "trick" Jake into eating it?

I don't see how round and purple=banana, but I should check my ASG.

Page 119. (Obviously it's not like an earth-banana.)
Oh, there's a podcast? ^^ Haven't heard about that yet. Where?

[Kaltxì Palulukan!]

In any case, you founded an excellent discussion. Cookie!

[KettleStrange]

But also: where did Grace get this fruit? I always assumed that, since the place they're standing in looks like a plantation, she just ripped it off a random bush that was nearby. But no, they grow high in the trees. So she must have been deliberately carrying it around. And why does she give it away so easily? Do you think she, being a human, had a way to come by these fruits better than Na'vi usually do? Maybe cause humans have helicopters? (But no...Na'vi have Ikran too..) And/Or cause she's the expert on Pandoran flora?

I wondered about this too.  I recently saw Avatar again, and during that particular scene, if you pay attention to the ground, there are what appears to be bushes that grow the fruit Grace threw to Jake.  (I'm hoping I'm not hallucinating!)  And one of my thoughts was, since so much of the vegetation on Pandora is potentially not edible by humans, maybe they had to create a hybrid fruit as one source of sustainable food?  Just a thought.

[Tsa'räni]

Yeah, after I watched it again it didn't really look like a push fruit.  And whatever it was growing from didn't seem to resemble what the ASG described.

[Tsu'roen]

Grace didn't bring the fruit - she picked it from the plant right next to her. The plant has a vague resemblance of the cycad (flour seed plant - ASG p. 124) but most likely isn't one.
From what you can see in that short shot the fruit looks a like a push fruit.
The ASG says that "this species grows high in the canopy". It does not say this fruit but this species! So I think it might be something like an epiphyte - a plant that grows upon another plant, such as a tree, non-parasitically, derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it.
Orchids for example are epiphytes. And while they in the wild usually grow up high out of reach many people have them conveniently growing in their living rooms. So I do not think it is a stretch to assume that Grace and her team collected a few plants and planted them in their "garden" for easy access.

[Tìng Eywatikìte'e]

Remember that Grace is a botanist. It's possible that she's played around with cross pollination, making it possible to grow it on a low bearing plant rather than one high in the canopy. Just a thought.