Freedom Fries

Don't say ''freedom fries'', say ''french fries''. Don't listen to what George Bush tells you to say. It's ''french fries'' not ''freedom fries''.

Chips, to some.

In my opinion Mannix is 100% right. By and large, it seems to be the Ameican government that is always having problems with France not the American people. I've read articles by several French students studying in the United States who claim that they notice little Anti-French sentiment among the American people and that they have always been well-received and well-treated by Americans everywhere they went.

Adam is right about 'chips'. When I traveled to Edmonton, Canada for the first time in 1974 I asked a French-Canadian cook at a restaurant I stopped at for a cheeseburger, French fries and ketchup. At first he looked perplexed then he realized that 'French fries' were what 'chips' were called in the United States and got me my order.

About twenty years later I was eating at a Denny's restaurant near Seattle. Sitting across from me was a woman and her young daughter. They looked Indian (Native American) but when the daughter said to the waitress "We'd like some chips and chOder" I immediately knew that they were from Canada.

The good old days, eh. It's no longer that way in Canada. When I was living in Vancouver (only a few years ago) they thought it quite funny whenever I called chips "chips".

As far as I know it's called "hot (potato) chips" or simply "chips" in most English speaking countries. Anything can be fried French-style, so why "French fries" in America? It seems more Anglo-Saxon than French.

Here in Scotland if you take a potato (best to use is a Maris Piper) cut it into strips (of whatever thickness depending on your preference, average about pencil size, say), soak in cold water to get rid of starch, dry thoroughly, then immerse in bubbling, boiling sunflower oil. Cook until a golden colour and nice and crisp. Take out of the deep pan fryer, shake off excess oil and: Bingo! You have: CHIPS (normal everyday parlance). If you go to Macdonalds then they are called French Fries or just fries, but in the UK they are universally called: CHIPS!

Crisps come in packets of whatever flavour you like, loads to choose from. Potatoes cut into thin circular/oval shapes then deep fried commercially until crisp, as the name implies. Put into packets then: Bingo! You buy them in the stores. I believe that the average packet contains about 330cals! So, advisedly...consume sparingly unless you want to tun into a wee porky. :-(

Enjoy whatever!

tun=turn

I think the whole "freedom fries" thing was stupid as well, but really... I don't know anyone who took that seriously and actually started calling them "freedom fries" in normal speech! Maybe 10 to 15 elementary schools in the US changed it to "freedom fries" in their cafeteria menu, and of course, they got a lot of press for it (because it was so stupid).

Anyway, even before 9/11, "French fries" was slowly (but surely) being replaced by the more pithy-sounding "fries." "French fries" is still used, but it sounds old-fashioned.

About the whole French-American rivalry... well, when hasn't there been conflict between the French government and an English-speaking nation? For a long time it was between France and Britain, now it's France and the United States. Eh. The French journalist/philosopher Jean-François Revel wrote a book called "Anti-Americanism" that could explain the conflict much better than I.

Yes but, France has never been in war against USA like British, germans, italians, japanese have been.

Yeah, but didn't France help US Americans become independent from Britain as well as giving them the Statue of Liberty? Who needs enemies when you have friends like US Americans.

Yeah, but the US also helped liberate France during the WW2 occupation. Well at least we have someone to blame for that eyesore of a statue.

Reggie,

you pointed an interesting fact and i am glad you did. You know weel the history of your own country (if you are american). it does not seem to be the case of your actual government and some american people. The thing is the same in France, we have our own stupid people.

That rivality between France and America is a false idea because of 2 facts : Which country can really pretend to be stongest than US? No one, so the France cannot be a real rival, it's a small country with less power.
The 2nd one is if you look at history, french and american governements have all the time collaborated together without any problems, people are just misinformed with propaganda.


you said : "Who needs enemies when you have friends like US Americans. " What is your definiotion if firend? Friends have both beneficts because of their relationship and listen carefully each others. I am not sure that's what is doing your actual president. And i am not talking about americano-french relations...


Personnally i don't have any problems with american people, only with those who are natinalistic from US or France.

<<Yes but, France has never been in war against USA like British, germans, italians, japanese have been.>>

France and the US have had military conflicts. 200 years ago. Water under the bridge. I was talking more of a conflict of ideologies.

Joanne,

"France and the US have had military conflicts"

No, never.

Notice I said "military conflicts," not "war," which requires formal declarations from ruling bodies of government. There was a naval quasi-war between the new US and France between 1798 and 1801, about pirates in the Mediterranean and actions of French privateers against US merchant ships.

But more SPECIFICALLY, it was ALL about who-cares-it-happened-200-years-ago!

This is the last I'm going to say about this, because it has nothing to do with language... unless you want to argue about the validity of hyphenated words.