"The Turkish government said this week that it has opened deportation proceedings against at least seven Syrian nationals accused of eating bananas in a 'provocative' way while participating in a TikTok video challenge..."

"... in a move that underscores rising hostility toward Syrians in a country with a reputation for being welcoming to refugees. The challenge was inspired by an Oct. 17 encounter on the streets of Istanbul that was captured on video, during which a man complained that he could not afford bananas, a staple that has fallen out of the reach of many consumers amid a poor economy. Turning to a female Syrian student, he alleged that refugees from Syria were buying the fruit by the 'kilos,' a reference to false rumors that displaced people were living in luxury off Turkish taxpayer largesse. In response, Syrians in Turkey and elsewhere posted videos of themselves eating bananas to poke fun at the incident. In one video, a group of young Syrians sat around the room, chuckling as they ate their fruit."

 
WaPo reports.

Skimming that, I got confused and thought the "provocative" banana-eating was something like this. You don't really need to look at that to know what it is. You know what it is. 

But it was just people engaged in typical banana-eating, like you see in that "one video" linked above. I experienced secondary confusion thinking the style — American style? — of taking a series of bites from the whole banana looks obscene in some countries. But no, it was just showing off that they had bananas and that it was absurd to think of access to bananas as a mark of a life of luxury.

Anyway, I got sidetracked into the question whether eating a banana straight out of the skin is objectionably crude. I have a vague memory of hearing someone in a movie say something like "There's no way to eat a banana that doesn't make boys think of a blow job." 

Me, I eat a banana by completely peeling it, putting it on a plate, breaking off bite-size pieces with a fork, and using a fork to put each piece separately into my mouth. That seems completely rational to me because I want the peel — which is garbage — to be out of the way while I'm enjoying my leisurely snack. Maybe that's what people in Turkey usually do too, and they experience the eat-it-whole method as rude. I don't know, but if you're ever served a banana in a stuffy dining environment — unlikely! — this this the official method — worldwide, I believe:

ADDED: The comments section over at WaPo is a prime example of how comments there always bring Trump in as soon as possible. The most-like comment is "Wow, Turks are even more fragile than Trump supporters."