Etiquette expert criticized for claiming 'only way' to eat a banana is with knife and fork
An etiquette expert and the author of a new book about manners is causing plenty of online chatter about the proper way to eat a banana and other common handheld foods.
William Hanson is the author of "Just Good Manners: A Quintessential Guide to Courtesy, Charm, Grace and Decorum," which was released on May 27.
Hanson is an executive director of London's The English Manner, the "leading etiquette and protocol institute" in the United Kingdom, according to its website.
He's also gained a large audience with his etiquette videos on social media, with over 6 million followers on Instagram and TikTok combined.
In a recent video, Hanson talked about "the only way you should be eating a banana."
"No, we don't pick it up and peel it like a primate," Hanson, who declined to be interviewed, said in the video.
"Instead, we use a knife and fork. First, going from one end, cut it off, then cut off the other end, turning your knife on its side. Then score down the skin, peel back and eat like so."
The video shows him eating a banana slice with a fork.
It has prompted over 200,000 views and over 28,000 comments.
"I'm not doing extra dishes for a banana, William," one person wrote.
"That's enough now, William! Time out!" wrote another commenter.
"Bruh, you offended the entire world's population," said another person.
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He has similar videos about the proper way to eat grapes, rice and peas.
But what's supposedly sophisticated in England may come across as peculiar in the United States.
"There are definitely different customs in other countries, but most often you will not be served a whole banana with the peel in most formal settings," Diane Gottsman, founder and owner of the Protocol School of Texas in San Antonio, told Fox News Digital.
Gottsman called Hanson "a wonderful personality." She said it's perfectly acceptable to eat a banana with your hands.
"There is seldom a time when you will be served a whole banana at a formal function," she said.
"The best thing to do is observe the host and follow the same technique."
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