Newfoundlander who went viral for eating spaghetti with scissors eyes cabbage next
'When I have salt beef and cabbage, you never knows, I might use scissors to chop my cabbage'
A Newfoundlander who went viral for using a pair of scissors to snip his spaghetti says he's inspiring a whole new generation of pasta lovers.
"I know there's a lot of kids out there now that when they have spaghetti, they want a pair of scissors like the guy on the internet," Bonavista's Dean Prince told As It Happens guest host Duncan McCue.
The video of the Prince's unconventional noodle shortening method has racked up more than 15 million views on Facebook, dividing foodies worldwide and even inspiring copycat videos, including one from pro-wrestler Kurt Angler.
Prince says his motivation for doing it was simple enough.
"I like to just consume my food fast, you know what I mean? I don't fiddle on the plate with it," he said.
"So one day the wife had spaghetti there a couple of weeks ago and I was working, I was in a rush, I had to get my supper eat and out the door again. So when I went to grab a fork, I seen the scissors there, so I said, well that'll make this a lot easier. Right quick now, right?"
'You got bite-size spaghetti, and let 'er rip'
Not only does it save time, but it makes the long noodles much easier to eat, he said.
"Just take the scissors to the spaghetti and just snip it off and then you got bite-size spaghetti, and let 'er rip," he said.
When Dean's wife Judy saw what he was doing, she immediately started filming him on her phone.
"She decided to tape it off just to send it to my daughters the video of their father eating like a shark or whatever," he said.
"And she asked me could she put it on Facebook. First I said no. An hour later, she asked me again. I must have been in a good mood and I said , yes, put it on there if you want to put it on there. No big deal, I said, right? The b'ys will only get a laugh out of it."
Since then, he says he's received calls from reporters far and wide and found himself at the centre of a passionate debate about food etiquette.
Some commenters have dubbed him a "genius," others a "psychopath."
But personally, Prince doesn't see what all the fuss is about.
"I don't see what everybody sees. But obviously somebody got a pretty good kick out of it to see me doing what I was doing," he said. "It's all for a bit of fun."
He said he doesn't plan to stop using scissors at dinner any time soon, and already has his eyes set on his next target.
"Yes sir, when I have salt beef and cabbage, you never knows, I might use scissors to chop my cabbage," he said.
When asked about the more tried-and-true method of rolling the noodles around the fork, Prince didn't seem impressed.
"That's alright, I suppose, if you've got time to do it."
Written by Sheena Goodyear with files from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Interiew with Dean Prince produced by Cameron Perrier.