Dale Earnhardt Jr. shared his favorite sandwich with Twitter and broke everyone’s brains.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.‘s love for banana-and-mayonnaise sandwiches goes deeper than anyone knew
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
Making my favorite sandwich. I swear it's delicious. @Hellmanns pic.twitter.com/sK5XeHxVi9
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) April 5, 2016
It should be noted that Hellmann’s is one of Dale Jr.‘s sponsors, but before you get too snarky about his photo there are a few things to consider.
1. The banana and mayo sandwich is a thing.
I’ve lived in North Carolina for 13 years and I have heard of people eating these regularly, or at least knowing someone in their family who did. This really is a staple of life across the south, or at least in the Carolinas. Don’t believe me?
@James_Dator It’s real, and it’s spectacular.
— Darin Gantt (@daringantt) April 5, 2016
@James_Dator It's a southern thing, iirc. And damn gross.
— Billy Steele (@wmsteele) April 5, 2016
@James_Dator Usually see it also with peanut butter. It's pretty good.
— Violence (@PhilKenSaban) April 5, 2016
@ncsujen @James_Dator @DaleJr @Hellmanns banana, mayo, fried bologna and Peanut butter is fantastic. Don't hate, just enjoy
— Isaac In NH (@IsaacNH24) April 5, 2016
2. Dale Jr. has an established history of loving mayonnaise.
Thanks @Hellmanns. Interesting recipe. I'm curious. pic.twitter.com/GWkb6lbMRe
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) October 10, 2014
Even back in 2014 Dale’s love of banana and mayo sandwiches was known by the world. This is an established thing and not a one-off to appease the brand gods.
Working with my friends @Hellmanns today got me thinking. Whats ur favorite use for mayo? Mine is a mayo/banana sandwich. #dontknockit
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) March 14, 2014
By all accounts his love of the sandwich (and mayo in general) is very real. Sure it happens to align with his sponsor, but that’s serendipity. At the end of the day wouldn’t we all want to be sold something by someone who truly believes in it? Dale Jr. believes in mayo. He loves mayo. He should be celebrated for that.
