With a 97% approval rating, Iceland’s President Guðni Th. Jóhannesson does not need to mince words.
Last week, at a high school in North Iceland, he told students that he is “fundamentally opposed” to pineapple as a pizza topping. And that he would ban it if he had the power.
The reaction on social media was swift forcing President Guðni Th. Jóhannesson to issue a clarifying statement in both Icelandic and English:
Yfirlýsing í stóra pítsumálinu - a statement on the pizza-controversy
Mér finnst ananas góður, bara ekki á pítsu. Ég get ekki sett lög sem banna fólki að setja ananas á pítsuna sína. Mér finnst gott að hafa ekki þau völd. Forsetar eiga ekki að hafa alræðisvald. Ég myndi ekki vilja gegna þessa embætti ef ég gæti sett lög sem bönnuðu það sem mér mislíkar. Ég myndi ekki vilja búa í þannig landi. Ég mæli með fiskmeti á pítsu.
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 if I could pass laws forbidding that which I don´t like. I would not want to live in such a country. For pizzas, I recommend seafood.
In a survey, most people in Iceland said that such a ban would be justified. Though there were some who opposed any food related ban.
What are your thoughts?