AIBU to never eat a banana properly in the office?

[PoorPawsPickPawpaws]

I would never just eat a banana by biting chunks from the whole fruit (which is how I would eat it at home)? I would always break a chunk off and eat it. As if taking a bite is too.... rude, suggestive?

Am I weird?

YABU: you are an overthinking weirdo for changing how you eat a banana in the office
YANBU: we all adjust how we eat bananas in case we come across like the women in the old Flake adverts

That kind of reasoning would apply to long thin chocolate bars, raw carrots, ice lollies, ice cream……

Do you really think that Nigel or Neela sitting at the next desk are watching you eat a banana and having pornographic thoughts?

I peel it all the way down, open it up, hold it sideways in both hands and nibble on it like a corn on the cob

@FoxVillage

Just make sure you maintain eye contact with your favourite co-worker while you're eating it.

This has killed me

YABU, - I do see your point but anyone judging or getting kicks off someone eating a banana honestly is a sicko a d I'm not tailoring how I eat for them

I NEVER thought about this, then my A-level English teacher told us men liked women eating bananas the traditional way because it was suggestive. She made a big thing of snapping it into chunks She was a feminist and often slotted nuggets of feminist wisdom into our lessons. It stuck with me, although at the time I was a little disappointed that I couldn't even eat a bloody banana without it being viewed as a sex act.

@LaMarschallin

It's a very common Jilly-Cooperism to say something like: "She's such a prude that she eats bananas sideways".

My MiL (a great stickler for etiquette) used to peel her bananas the opposite way from most: holding it by the little stalk - the bit most people use to start peeling the first strip - as if it was an ice-lolly stick, then awkwardly peeling from the blunt end.

Not sure there's anything to do with etiquette, it's just easier, that's how I taught my kids.

At my first office role aged 17 I ate a banana in the break room....how I had always eaten them (i.e. normally) what a mistake!! It was a very male IT helpdesk, you can imagine the comments! I was really naive and never made that "mistake" again.

I'd have to use a knife and fork and a bib.
I don't like the texture of bananas but I do like the flavour.
Probably traumatised from using them at school when we were shown how to put a condom on.
All rather disappointing when I saw my first real-life-boyfriend-penis, it was nothing like a banana.
Also memories of years of motherhood feeding little people mashed banana. Something about the sticky, slurpy noise and gummy visuals puts me right off. Then the scraping up and refeeding them the regurgitated banana...
But, to the point, you must tackle that banana how you see fit OP. It's your right

Ugh, this has just reminded me. About 15 years ago (I was 21), I had a temp job doing admin at a police station. I worked in an office with some of the police detectives. One day I ate a banana by biting it as usual, and one of the fairly senior, male police officers made a lewd comment. Wish I’d been brave enough to stand up for myself at the time! (I now break a banana to eat if I’m in public by the way!)

@Sunnidayz

I once ate a banana at work (small office and I was the only woman, lots of innuendo) and two of the guys gathered around me to watch me eat it. They thought it was hilarious.

If you weren't the only woman in the office I'd think we worked in the same place. It gave me a hang up about eating bananas in public. Mind you I did it more than once.

@pompomandpeach

Ugh, this has just reminded me. About 15 years ago (I was 21), I had a temp job doing admin at a police station. I worked in an office with some of the police detectives. One day I ate a banana by biting it as usual, and one of the fairly senior, male police officers made a lewd comment. Wish I’d been brave enough to stand up for myself at the time! (I now break a banana to eat if I’m in public by the way!)

I also worked in a police station. I'm amazed only one made a comment.

My manager did not approve of us eating a banana in her presence.
She bought us a special spoon to eat our banana with it was bonkers.
I just ate away from my desk.

I'm not going to describe the way I eat a banana, only that I don't do it in public

onlyhereforthecake

LaMarschallin×

My MiL (a great stickler for etiquette) used to peel her bananas the opposite way from most: holding it by the little stalk - the bit most people use to start peeling the first strip - as if it was an ice-lolly stick, then awkwardly peeling from the blunt end.

Not sure there's anything to do with etiquette, it's just easier, that's how I taught my kids.

I think my MiL thought it was to do with etiquette otherwise she'd have explained about it being easier.
As I said before, I think it's lovely that she's been proved right after being teased by her DCs and DCsinLaw.
I'm going to tell my DDs how to do it properly now as they love memories of Grandma.

I appreciate that it's nothing to do with etiquette in your family.

So uncouth. The correct way to eat any fruit is to peel and chop and eat it from a plate with fruit cutlery.

There was a thread on here not long ago by someone whose colleague had made a complaint about her for eating bananas "suggestively." OP insisted she was just... eating a banana.

@Waitingforpagetoload

Just don't make eye contact with any men while you're eating a banana and you'll be fine.

😂

You're not being unreasonable. My post clubbing take away of choice, as a student in the 80s, was a white pudding supper. The boys in my social group used to stare as I ate the white pudding, and it was weeks before anyone explained why. I started getting a plain bag of chips to eat while walking back to halls after a night out instead and it really wasn't the same.

Yeah, as it’s not worth the comments/banter/innuendo

Those witty men….

No I do not think anyone is actually salivating though

Unless it’s this banana I don’t think you’ve got anything to worry about.

YABU for eating a banana in the first place because they are rank.

😂

@PoorPawsPickPawpaws I used to do the “break banana up” at school, because being a teenage girl surrounded by teenage boys it was safer. I carried this on out of habit but then one day was in the office and thought “wtf am I doing I am a grown woman” so now just eat it normally (banana to mouth).

I eat a banana in the staff room most days. Part of the ap-PEEL is that it’s a quick and easy snack that doesn’t require me to touch the fruit with my hands. I also peel it from the bottom, much easier.

I think if the people around me can’t handle me eating fruit without getting excited, that’s their problem.

I was at a conference once and there was a bowl of fruit for after lunch. My colleague actually peeled and ate his banana with a knife and fork!

Bananas stink and it should be socially unacceptable to eat any fruit in a public place which leaves behind a skin or core to fester.