You’ve been eating corn on the cob all wrong. But then, it is a notoriously tricky vegetable to eat, so it’s no surprise.
But fear not, because expert tutelage on the etiquette of eating it is available courtesy of that Merlin of manners, William Hanson.
He clarifies how to eat corn on the cob in a TikTok video that to date has been viewed three million times.
The central point he makes is that one shouldn’t pick up the vegetable with one’s hands and ‘gnaw away at it like a woodland critter’.
‘No beaver action, please,’ he adds.
Expert tutelage on the etiquette of eating corn on the cob is available courtesy of that Merlin of manners, William Hanson
Instead, Mr Hanson instructs his viewers to hold the corn at the top, while it’s on a plate, and ‘gently carve’ it with a knife, rotating it as you cut ‘until there’s none left’.
We asked Mr Hanson what the correct procedure is for eating corn on the cob if a plate and knife are unavailable. Is the woodland critter tactic ok in an emergency?
He said: ‘In an emergency, I guess chomping down on a thick cob would be acceptable. But presumably, one is at a semi-feral barbecue if no plates and cutlery are available, in which case formal dining etiquette can be dispensed with anyway.’
Should one apologise if opting for the woodland critter tactic?
‘Profusely,’ said Mr Hanson.
Perhaps corn on the cob should be served pre-sliced?
Mr Hanson said: ‘It’s a notion, but perhaps it runs the risk of looking a bit like an unappetising yellow slab.
The central point Mr Hanson makes is that one shouldn’t pick up corn on the cob with your hands and ‘gnaw away at it like a woodland critter’. ‘No beaver action, please,’ he adds
‘Probably best to serve sweetcorn loose rather than in slabs, if you are set on serving it at all.’
Is it bad form to serve corn on the cob? Given that it is awkward to eat and is a barbecue staple?
Mr Hanson replied: ‘Yes, corn on the cob is not a formal vegetable, so it would not usually be served in formal dining.
‘But it could be served as a novelty act during a very causal kitchen supper for close friends.’
For more from Mr Hanson visit his TikTok and Instagram profiles. His new book, Just Good Manners (Penguin Random House), is out on September 12, 2024. It is billed as ‘a witty and authoritative guide to British etiquette’, with William sharing ‘his definitive guidance on how to charm and delight those around you in every situation with idiosyncratic authority’.
