Etiquette Expert Claims We Have All Been Buttering Bread Wrong

An etiquette expert has revealed that there's actually a proper way to spread butter, but not everyone is convinced.

We thought the main debate about butter was whether it's better cold or room temperature, but as it turns out, there's a completely separate issue at the heart of buttering your bread that most of us have probably never even considered.

In a TikTok video, 'etiquette coach' Dr. Clinton Lee has revealed the proper technique — no doubt employed by the Queen and the other great and good of high society — when it comes to loading up your bread.

'Many people will take the entire piece of bread and butter it on their plate,' Dr. Lee says, demonstrating the way pretty much every person you've ever met will spread butter.

'Practical, certainly, but in terms of etiquette, incorrect,' he says.

Apparently, the real way to do it is a whole lot more complicated, with Dr. Lee explaining that proper etiquette advises diners to place the butter on the side of your plate, before breaking your bread into 'small, mouth sized pieces' and buttering each piece individually as you eat it.

It might be good enough for royalty, but most of Dr. Lee's followers are having absolutely none of the technique, with one person going as far as to brand the unusual technique as 'barbaric'.

'If someone is going to shame me for how I butter my bread I don't need them in my life,' one person commented, with another replying, 'This doesn’t even make sense it looks like it made more mess.'

That being said, others seem to be hanging on Dr. Lee's every word, with one person writing, 'Makes me feel like a real lady when I follow your tips!'

Bread and butter (Alamy)

'I’m gonna look fancy AF at Texas Roadhouse next time,' another person joked, while a third person said, 'This is what I've always done and honestly thought it was wrong. Glad to know I've done something right.'

Self-described 'wine and etiquette master' Dr. Lee has gained quite a following on TikTok for his helpful tips on how to fit in in upper-class circles, with more than 1.3 million followers, and 4.5 million views on his bread buttering video.

In other clips, he's also offered advise on how to use a napkin, how to hold a coffee cup, and even what to do with your free hand when holding a glass of wine.

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Topics: TikTok

Hannah Smith

Hannah is a London-based journalist covering news and features for UNILAD. She's especially interested in social and political activism and culture.