Etiquette expert warns posture mistake at dinner table makes you look greedy

A British etiquette expert issued a humorous warning, stating that one dining faux pas can make you appear 'greedy'.

William Hanson, a regular guest on This Morning, recently shared his thoughts on eating habits during dinner, causing a split among viewers. While sitting in front of a large pizza and a salad, he filmed the red-flag behaviour for others to see, labelling it as a major faux pas.

"No matter how delicious the food may be, don't come across as a greedy individual," he emphasised, posting on his TikTok account, @williamhansonetiquette. "Posture for dining. In Western culture, we bring the food to us, not the other way around, so don't lean towards the plate."

Mr Hanson suggests you should always bring the food to your mouth, resisting the temptation to lean closer to the plate. Using the salad as an example, he said: "The only two exceptions to this rule are when you're eating soup or spaghetti, where you can slightly tilt towards the plates but only by a few degrees!"

As expected, his post about manners garnered numerous amused comments online, with several users refusing to adhere to these rules. One person commented: "There's no rules with me and my food," while another added: "Man let us eat in peace for God's sake," and another remarked: "I was literally leaning over my salad watching this. if I don't it ends up on my clothes lol."

Yet, Mr Hanson didn't limit his dining suggestions to burgers. He moved on to pizza, proposing people fold each slice in half 'like a calzone' for a 'much more elegant' dining experience.

He elaborated: "Don't try and stuff it in your mouth like so, it'll go floppy and nobody wants that. Instead, you can fold this in half... and eat like so. So much more elegant and it avoids tomato sauce going all around your lips."

The expert later joked: "Because nobody wants to look like they've just left a nightclub, after lunch!"

Diners were quick to join the fun with hilarious comments about their preferred way of eating pizzas. One responded: "I eat it with pizza scissors," while another shared: "I eat the bits of cheese that are stuck to the top of the box."