French fries are french fries again

[Ray]

Lahore based Pakistan newspaper "Daily Times" reports:

Thursday, August 03, 2006 E-Mail this article to a friend Printer Friendly Version

French fries are french fries again


WASHINGTON: French fries, which in the run-up to the Iraq war and French opposition to it, had been renamed “freedom fries” in some Capitol Hill cafeterias have gone back to the name by which everyone called them anyway: french fries.

French toast, a breakfast favourite with legislators, is also back to its universally known name of french toast from “freedom toast”, a name that never caught on. French toast is actually a Belgian not a French invention.

A spokesman for Congressman Bob Ney of Ohio, who with Congressman Walter B Jones of North Carolina, led the move to change the name to freedom fries, refused to comment on the reversion to the original name, in answer to a question from a Washington Times reporter.

“We don’t have a comment for your story,” was all he said. Ney, who was then chairman of the House Administration Committee, which oversees the cafeterias, announced the change at the height of anti-French sentiment, when Paris scolded Washington over the Iraq invasion.

Even french mustard was subjected to a boycott. The protestations of its American manufacturer that french mustard had nothing to do with France but was an American product were ignored by flag-waving patriots who were celebrating the invasion of Iraq and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.

A manager in the House’s basement cafeteria told the Washington Times that “freedom fries” and “freedom toast” were taken off the menu last week. He referred all calls to the Capitol’s guest services department. The cafeteria in the Longworth Office Building restored french fries in January. “Now that they’ve changed the name of the french fries back, maybe they will admit their other foreign policy mistakes were wrong, too,” said Brendan Daly, a spokesman for Rep Nancy Pelosi of California, the House minority leader. The Senate never made any changes at its cafeterias.

The newspaper said the term “freedom fries” actually originated at Cubbies, a restaurant in Beaufort, North Carolina, which caters to US troops stationed at three nearby military bases.

A spokeswoman for the French Embassy noted that her country had been working “very closely” with the United States on the Middle East and that Presidents Bush and Jacques Chirac dined on french fries in February 2005. khalid hasan
http://www.worldpress.org/link.cfm?h...ytimes.com.pk/

All friends now, right?

[TopHatter]

1. Politicians are idiots.

2. The word "freedom" seems to have been hijacked and subjected to overuse by...politicians.

[Lunatock]

All friends now, right?

Hmmm...france (SPIT!) Afraid not. Still a lower case f in all cases, still spit.

[gunnut]

Who the hell came up with "freedom fries?" I don't want to fry freedom.

On the other hand, fry the French and the French are toast sound just fine with me.

Anyone know the origin of the term "French fries?" In WW1, Germany invented the flamethrower for use by the assault troops. It was first used on the western front. Hence "French fries."

[Lunatock]

Who the hell came up with "freedom fries?" I don't want to fry freedom.

On the other hand, fry the French and the French are toast sound just fine with me.

Anyone know the origin of the term "French fries?" In WW1, Germany invented the flamethrower for use by the assault troops. It was first used on the western front. Hence "French fries."

Noone ever said you can eat freedom. A line from a Team America song did say "freedom's not free. Freedom costs a buck-o-five." But nobody said you can eat freedom.