Guðni Th. Jóhannesson has made a comment about his views on pizza toppings, he stated his dislike for pineapple and the internet has blown up. The remark was made during a visit to the Akueryri High School in Northern Iceland and although it appears the president was joking, not everyone saw it that way.
Twitter and Facebook saw thousands take to their phones and laptops as a means to have a say about the matter, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson quickly rectified his joke on his own Facebook page stating: `I like pineapples just not on pizza. I do not have the power to make laws which forbid people to put pineapples on their pizza. I am glad that I do not hold such power. Presidents should not have unlimited power. I would not want to hold this position of I could pass laws forbidding that which I don’t like. I would not want to live in such a country. For Pizza’s, I recommend seafood. `
His response seems to have worked well for the most part but the debate might to take a little while to sizzle down. Realistically though the president of Iceland was more than likely making a point about eating responsibly and locally as Iceland is a huge producer of seafood and pineapples are thought to be a problematic fruit for environmental issues. While most people think pineapples come from Hawaii, Hawaii in reality is only responsible for 13% of production while the majority come from Costa Rica. It would make sense for Guðni Th. Jóhannesson to try promote local food consumption rather than importing but it appears he has started a long-awaited debate between social media lovers.
Mr Jóhannesson has seen a popularity rating increase of up to 97% since he was elected in June so whether it’s over the pineapple debate or not, the president appears to be doing something right and it just goes to show, you never know what will make news next.
