Malcolm Turnbull outrages Australia by eating pie with knife and fork

Malcolm Turnbull, Australia’s prime minister, has been ridiculed for using a knife and fork to eat a meat pie, prompting claims he has upended a venerated tradition and left the nation “forever changed”.

In a move likened to Ed Miliband’s awkward consumption of a bacon sandwich in 2014, Mr Turnbull sat down to eat a pie during a campaign stop in Tasmania and opted to use cutlery. 

Footage of the incident was posted on his Instagram account and quickly prompted fierce debate. 

“A pie that small should, and always will be, only eaten by a technique that is learned when you go to a school with a tuck shop,” one person wrote on Twitter.

 “Two hands. Gently press down on the far side whilst slightly slurping the near side.” 

Australians typically eat a meat pie with their hands and many consider it a native dish, though it is believed to date back at least as far as ancient Greece. 

A report on the Ten Daily website said “Australia Is Forever Changed” and suggested the incident would not have secured any votes for Mr Turnbull, who has been campaigning ahead of a series of by-elections on Saturday.

“Remember the old riddle, Malcolm,” said the report. “What's the best thing to put into a pie? Your teeth.”

The incident was compared with former prime minister Tony Abbott’s memorable bite into an unpeeled raw  onion and with Australian opposition leader Bill Shorten’s decision to eat a sausage sandwich by biting into the middle rather than starting at the end. Some critics also questioned Mr Turnbull’s decision to forgo tomato sauce. 

“[Mr Turnbull] has become the latest to join the pantheon of Pollies Who Look Like Aliens Around Regular Foodstuff,” said a report in The Australian.

“It’s easy to laugh, but it is a minefield.”

In pictures: Politicians and the greatest food faux-pas of all time

However, Mr Turnbull received some support as defenders noted the difficulty of cleanly eating a pie without cutlery.

“It’s time we admitted there’s nothing wrong with using a knife and fork to eat a pie,” said 2GB Radio commentator Ben Fordham on Twitter. “Discuss.”

One response said: “It's about the enjoyment!  If you like to enjoy it without the threat of a lava hot mouthful burning you from the inside out or cascading down the front of your clothes, then the plate, knife and fork is preferable!  As my Nana said, 'To each, his own!'”