A short video showcasing the "British way of eating rice" recently sparked heated discussions on social media. The video's protagonist, British etiquette trainer Hanson, became the object of netizens' relentless ridicule for demonstrating "orthodox table manners."
In the video, Hanson is dressed in a dark blue suit, sitting in front of a table with a plate of white rice. While demonstrating, he says, "According to British table etiquette, as you already know, we never turn the fork upside down when using a knife... So when we eat rice with a knife and fork, just like eating peas, we push the rice onto the back of the fork with the knife and eat it that way."
The 18-second short video, posted on May 24, quickly garnered nearly 667,000 likes on the short video platform TikTok, and over 310,000 likes on social media Instagram.
However, most of the comments are sarcastic. One netizen mocked, "Is using a spoon banned in the UK?" Another joked, "Next episode, teach you how to drink soup with chopsticks." A comment also read, "The correct way, of course, is to scoop the most rice onto a spoon with a fork."
In the face of controversy, Hanson did not back down. He posted a new tutorial video the next day, this time teaching everyone how to "elegantly eat a banana."
He said, "We don’t peel a banana like primates, but use a knife and fork." In the video, he first cuts off both ends, then slices the peel lengthwise to reveal the fruit.
Hanson is the "UK's chief etiquette expert" with a total social media following of 6 million. He is known for posting short clips on traditional table etiquette, but he often becomes the subject of ridicule because of it.