We’re all about a cool fruit salad on a warm day. And sometimes, a ham, cheese, and mayo sandwich really hits the spot. But a fruit and mayo sandwich? Um… Although our skin is crawling, some people can’t get enough of this strange sweet and salty food combo. Who was the first person to put two and two together on this one? We’re pointing our finger at NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr.
In April 2016, Earnhardt Jr. posted a picture on Twitter of his “favorite sandwich.” Rather than your run-of-the-mill peanut butter and banana, Earnhardt Jr. combined mayonnaise and bananas, causing the people of the internet to raise a collective eyebrow.
“Judging by the response today, it musta always been a local thing,” Earnhardt Jr. said in a follow-up tweet.
But shockingly, the banana mayo sandwich isn’t just an Earnhardt Jr.-specific snack. One fellow southerner responded to Earnhardt Jr.’s tweet saying that his North Carolinian mom loves this combo. Others also backed him up, stating they love other fruits and mayo sandwiches, too. Someone even coaxed him to try pineapple and mayo. Another follower said they’re partial to mayonnaise and peanut butter sandwiches — it was all going too far, in our opinion.
Making my favorite sandwich. I swear it's delicious. @Hellmanns pic.twitter.com/sK5XeHxVi9
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) April 5, 2016
@DaleJr pic.twitter.com/27lTOziEMw
— Mike Cugno (@MikeCugnoCBS4) April 5, 2016
@DaleJr u took redneck to a whole new level
— 4ThaLongRun (@LunchMoney400) April 5, 2016
In fact, a year before Earnhardt Jr. sent out his controversial tweet, an entire Reddit thread was created to discuss the validity of the banana mayo sandwich in the Southern United States. Some people responded that they’ve never heard of it, while others swore they saw someone eat it IRL. It’s truly a toss-up.
Jim from the Sandwich Tribunal blog tried out Earnhardt Jr.’s go-to lunch and the results were pretty dismal. “This is, both literally and figuratively, most likely the whitest sandwich ever,” Jim wrote. “It does not work. This is not a you-got-your-chocolate-in-my-peanut-butter meet-cute situation, this is a you-got-your-mayonnaise-on-my-banana, prepare-to-die situation.” Ouch.
After receiving so much negative feedback, Earnhardt Jr. offered up a suggestion:
The banana mayo sandwich combo reaction is always so passionate. What if you added peanut butter? That's always an option you know.
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) April 5, 2016
Jim tried that, too, and honestly, he didn’t hate it. “I had a bite with a good-sized hit of mayonnaise and… this time, it kind of worked? Maybe it was the peanut butter, maybe it was the increased sweetness of the riper banana, but this time around, it all came together in a way it had not the first time.”
Well, we’re glad some people out there have found a food combo that works for them. As for us, we’ll stick with good old fashioned PB&Js.
