A new viral video is putting the humble banana at the center of an etiquette debate. British etiquette coach William Hanson, known for his educational videos on dining manners, has shown Instagram followers the proper way to eat a banana, and it does not involve peeling it with your hands.
The story
In the Instagram video, Hanson sits at a table with an unpeeled banana on a plate. “Here is how to eat a banana,” he begins. “Now, we don’t pick it up and peel it like a primate.” Instead, he demonstrates how to use a knife and fork.
He slices off one end, then the other, before scoring down the peel with his knife and gently pulling the skin back. Once the banana is peeled, he cuts it into smaller pieces and eats them one by one. His caption added: “It may not be the quickest method, but it certainly brings a sense of occasion to eating a banana.”
The reactions
The video had thousands of viewers shaking their heads in disbelief. “Who serves a banana at a fancy dinner?” one commenter asked. Another joked, “Do you really get an unpeeled banana placed on a plate at a restaurant?” Another responded to the same comment, “You get bananas at restaurants?”
People often go to fancy restaurants to indulge in foods they may not typically make at home. Asking about a ‘banana’ when eating at such restaurants is not a usual practice.
Plenty of people dismissed the entire exercise as unnecessary. “I ain’t washing no dishes for a banana,” one person wrote. Another commented, “Bro uses a fork and knife to eat water,” mocking how unnecessary it felt to formalize something so simple.
Many argued on Hanson’s dismissal of peeling fruit by hand, likening it to primates. “You know humans are primates, right?” one user reminded him. Bananas are one of the most common foods eaten by monkeys and apes, which they peel quickly with their hands. Several viewers pointed out that if primates manage just fine, humans probably don’t need cutlery either, as humans were once primates.
One comment pointed to Queensland, Australia, noting that Tully is one of the country’s most significant banana-growing towns. "It's obvious you're not from Queensland in Australia.. town called Tully. The biggest banana growers in the world. Perish the thought of expending all that energy to peel it like that, out on the track."
Tully, in northern Queensland, is home to Australia’s largest banana industry, producing hundreds of thousands of tonnes each year. For locals who work long hours on banana farms, Hanson’s complicated way of eating bananas would be a surprising new way.
Others suggested using common sense. “I’ll say the right way to eat a banana is not with cutlery as a primate who thinks he is not a primate, but to grab it, peel it, and eat with your hands as a regular, normal human being, thanks. Oh, and don’t forget your napkin,” one viewer wrote.
Still, Hanson’s video did gain traction among those interested in traditional etiquette. Several commenters noted that “the royal family mostly eats bananas like this,” pointing out that royals are trained to eat in a particular manner to avoid awkward moments at formal dining tables. The purpose of such training is to eat food without using hands and to prevent the mess that could be considered undignified.
Hanson, who has built a career explaining those rules, was reminding his audience that even everyday foods can be eaten with a degree of ceremony, but people were certainly not convinced.
In another video, he even demonstrated how to eat ‘peas’ the right way, which shocked the internet. The audience reacted similarly, making fun of the whole process and arguing that there was no need to complicate eating simple foods like peas.
Food etiquette has long been a topic of debate. Videos showing how to cut pizza, fold tacos, or layer sandwiches regularly rack up views. They gain attention because the advice goes against what most people do, sparking a quick “no way” reaction and giving everyone a chance to add their thoughts.
If you want a neater way to eat a banana without using a full place setting, nutritionists and chefs have shared a few practical tips over the years. Peel from the bottom rather than the stem, as it opens more smoothly and avoids squishing the top. If the banana is large, break it into halves or thirds before eating so the pieces are easier to manage.
And if you’re packing one in a bag, leave it slightly under-ripe so it doesn’t squish as easily. These tricks won’t get you an etiquette certificate, but they do make eating the fruit more convenient.
Hanson’s reel may not convince many people to reach for a knife and fork the next time they eat a banana, but it demonstrates once again how much passion food etiquette inspires.
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