WATCH: The proper way to eat a banana, according to an etiquette expert
You've been eating a banana incorrectly according to an expert.
Image: Aleksandar Pasaric / Pexels
How do you eat a banana? Seems like a no-brainer, right? You grab it, peel it, and munch away.
However, an etiquette expert is trying to convince you that you’re doing it all wrong.
William Hanson, an etiquette coach at the English Manner in London, is no stranger to telling people how to behave in public.
From how to eat rice to how to hold your knife when eating, his methods, while meant to be the proper English ways to do things, can often seem a bit over the top.
In his latest “how-to” video, he illustrates the proper and somewhat bizarre way to eat a banana.
Seated in what looks like the setting for a six-course tasting menu, Hanson sits in front of a single, lonely banana resting regally on a plate and tells fans, “We don’t pick it up and peel it like a primate.”
He then proceeds to demonstrate, using a knife and fork, how to peel it and eat it.
He begins by cutting off both ends of the banana.
“Then, turning your knife on its side, score down the skin, peel back and eat like so,” he explains as he slices the banana, then uses his fork to eat one slice at a time.
The video captioned “This is the only way you should be eating a banana” has amassed 18 million views, with over 40,000 people jumping into the comment section.
While most viewers were amused by how ridiculous it is, others zeroed in on Hanson’s “primate” remark.
One commenter helpfully pointed out, “Human beings are primates. You mean like a non-human primate.” Another chimed in with, “Bruh, you offended the entire world’s population.”
“We ARE primates! Bananas are obviously meant to be peeled. No knife and fork required unless you’re a ridiculous snob,” said another viewer.
“But Mr Hanson, we are primates. The divide between etiquette and pretence isn’t a osmosis membrane,” chirped another.
Surely, even those who eat pizza with a knife and fork will agree that this is taking things too far.
IOL Lifestyle