You’ve been eating corn on the cob all wrong! Etiquette expert William Hanson reveals that gnawing away at the vegetable ‘like a woodland critter’ is an absolute no-no
You’ve been eating corn on the cob all wrong. But it’s a notoriously tricky vegetable to eat, so it’s no surprise.
But fear not, because expert advice on the etiquette of eating it is available thanks to that Merlin of manners, William Hanson.
He explains how to eat corn on the cob in a TikTok video which has been viewed three million times to date.
The central point he makes is that you should not pick up the vegetable with your hands and ‘gnaw at it like a forest animal’.
“No beaver action please,” he adds.
Expert guidance on the etiquette of eating corn on the cob is available thanks to that Merlin of manners, William Hanson
Instead, Hanson instructs his viewers to hold the corn at the top while it’s on a plate and “gently cut” it with a knife, turning it as you cut “until there’s nothing left.”
We asked Mr. Hanson what the proper procedure is for eating corn on the cob when a plate and knife are not available. Are the forest animal’s tactics okay in an emergency?
He said: ‘In an emergency it would be acceptable to chew on a fat cob of corn. But one is probably having a semi-wild barbecue if there are no plates and cutlery available, and then formal dining etiquette can be omitted anyway.’
Should you apologize if you choose the forest animal tactic?
“Abundant,” said Mr. Hanson.
Perhaps the corn on the cob should be served pre-cut?
Mr Hanson said: ‘It’s an idea, but perhaps it risks looking a bit like an unappetizing yellow plate.
Mr. Hanson’s central point is that you should not pick up the cob of corn with your hands and “gnaw at it like a forest animal.” “No beaver action please,” he adds
“It’s probably best to serve sweet corn loose rather than sliced, if you want to serve it at all.”
Is it bad form to serve corn on the cob? Considering it’s a pain to eat and a barbecue staple?
Mr Hanson replied: ‘Yes, corn on the cob is not a formal vegetable and so is not normally served at formal dinners.
“But it can serve as a novelty during a very informal kitchen meal for close friends.”
For more information from Mr. Hanson, visit his TikTok And Instagram profiles. His new book, Just Good Manners (Penguin Random House), will be published on September 12, 2024. It is billed as ‘a witty and authoritative guide to British etiquette’, in which William ‘shares his definitive guidelines on how to charm and surprise people ‘. around you in every situation with idiosyncratic authority’.