In showbiz, they say never work with animals or children. In politics the equivalent rule should be never be photographed with food.
The adage can amply be demonstrated by prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, who, according to the internet, has made the grievous tactical error of sharing the stage with a meat pie while on the byelection campaign trail.
On a stop in Ulverstone on Tasmania’s north coast, Turnbull was pictured eating a pie at Olivers Bakery and Cafe, not with his hands, but with a knife and fork.
Despite praising the local business for “continuing to make excellent pies”, the prime minister can be seen poised to cut it like a steak.
The video, posted to Turnbull’s Instagram account, also reveals the second sin of removing the pie’s lid before eating, with the prime minister attempting to prise the top off his pie in a way that many on Twitter found distressing.
Dinky die Aussie, man of the people Malcolm Turnbull eating a pie with a knife and fork... pic.twitter.com/LHdV89HYCA
— Richard Tuffin 🌈 (@RichardTuffin) July 27, 2018
This photo is more damning in Australian politics than being a Kremlin puppet or w/e https://t.co/7TmmUFZsGC
— Christian McCrea (@christianmccrea) July 26, 2018
"Take a photo of me pretending to eat this pea!"
— Jordan Thiccford (@Piwikie) July 26, 2018
"Pie, sir."
"Pie? Ha! Marvelous!"
For some, the more alarming image was the choice of a comically small espresso to accompany the pie.
Acceptable pie accompaniments:
— lucy valentine (@LucyXIV) July 26, 2018
- ice break
- big M
- sneaky dart
- longneck
- cheeky duzza
No doubt that Julia Gillard was one hundred times better at eating a pie than Malcolm Turnbull. pic.twitter.com/CH4UOCQ7tO
— Glenn Peters (@nightwatchman) July 27, 2018
On a trip to Vietnam last year, the PM’s Instagram also revealed he had never eaten a banh mi before. After his first bite, he enthused it was “what free trade and open markets enables us to have”.
Breaking news from Vietnam, PM @TurnbullMalcolm had never eaten a Banh Mi before. Here is his first bite with @luke_nguyen pic.twitter.com/zXoCA6gnBr
— Sarah Martin (@msmarto) November 10, 2017
Turnbull’s description of banh mi makes me think he fundamentally misunderstands human cultures pic.twitter.com/cQ9nGKeSJD
— Tom Joyner (@tomrjoyner) November 10, 2017
However, on Friday many observers defended the PM’s use of cutlery in Tasmania, and tried to turn the focus away from baked goods.
It’s time we admitted there’s nothing wrong with using a knife and fork to eat a pie. Discuss. pic.twitter.com/O28x3lStXJ
— BenFordham (@BenFordham) July 26, 2018
I eat pies with a knife and fork. This means I don’t have a spare hand to hold a book open, so I usually read the @SatPaper or @GoodWeekendMag while eating. Can we condemn Turnbull for Manus and Nauru, not his use of cutlery, please? https://t.co/RkUvOqt0iS
— Rev. Dr Avril Hannah-Jones (@DocAvvers) July 26, 2018
God who cares about the pie/fork/knife when 40 per cent of Braddon didn’t finish year 12
— Emily Baker (@emlybkr) July 27, 2018
Eating in public has long been a minefield for politicians.
Tony Abbott became famous around the world for chowing down on a raw onion, while former New South Wales premier Bob Carr once had to eat a sausage roll on TV as a public apology for telling two Daily Telegraph reporters that the foodstuff was “disgusting”.
In 2016, current opposition leader Bill Shorten, clearly traumatised by the roasting of his colleagues, decided to eat a sausage from the side on, rotating it by 90 degrees and holding it with two hands.
In the UK, former Labour leader Ed Miliband’s election campaign was almost destroyed after he was pictured in an awkward attempt to eat a bacon sandwich.
Remember 2015? Remember when the biggest political talking point was how Ed Miliband ate a bacon sandwich? I miss 2015. pic.twitter.com/9L7r0UbVFh
— Luke Smith (@LukeSmithF1) November 9, 2016
David Cameron followed suit by eating a hotdog with a knife and fork, and Theresa May then ate chips at the seaside, with a grimace that made it look like she’d never seen the foodstuff before.
Something lighter for a Monday morning: the public think the Miliband bacon sandwich photo is still worse than May eating chips (62% vs 15%) pic.twitter.com/ek1fyUs0s1
— YouGov (@YouGov) May 8, 2017
Meanwhile in the US, Donald Trump has a long list of culinary crimes that include: eating pizza with a knife and fork; eating KFC on a plate with a knife and fork; and eating a taco bowl (which is already a bowl) on top of two different ceramic bowls while proclaiming “I love Hispanics!”.
Great afternoon in Ohio & a great evening in Pennsylvania - departing now. See you tomorrow Virginia! pic.twitter.com/jQTQYBFpdb
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 2, 2016
Happy #CincoDeMayo! The best taco bowls are made in Trump Tower Grill. I love Hispanics! https://t.co/ufoTeQd8yA pic.twitter.com/k01Mc6CuDI
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 5, 2016
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio was also roasted by his constituents in 2014 after he ate a traditional New York pizza with a knife and fork.
A longtime friend of De Blasio, Charles Greinsky, was eating at the same Staten Island pizzeria and denounced him for “blasphemy”.
“He’s from Boston,” he said. “He doesn’t know any better.”
When confronted by reporters, De Blasio claimed he was eating it the Italian way, true to his roots.
“In my ancestral homeland, it’s more typical to eat with a fork and knife,” he said. “I’ve been to Italy a lot.”
So tell us in the comments – is it ever OK to eat a pie with a knife and fork, or should it only be eaten directly from the paper bag?
