The act of opening a banana from it's opposite end, commonly chipping away at it's darkened stub with your thumbnails, then peeling it back per usual.
The benefit of this is that If the
top of the banana is acting particularly stubborn, the Pitman method prevents damage to the banana and/or requiring the use of exterior tools to open the banana successfully.
Consoquently, the
Bottom of the banana can become equally, if not more, damaged. But I know at least two
people, including myself, who choose to discard of the
bottom bit, as it's got a slightly bitter bit at the very end.