Cherchez Les French Fries et Toast!

Nick Gillespie | August 2, 2006

The Washington Times reports that the House of Representatives' cafeteria will once again start calling Freedom Fries and Freedom Toast by their Frenchified names:

The fries on Capitol Hill are French again.

So is the breakfast toast in the congressional cafeterias, with both fries and toast having been liberated from the appellation "freedom."

Three years after House Republicans trumpeted the new names to get back at the French for snubbing the coalition of the willing in Iraq, congressmen don't even want to talk about french fries, which are actually native to Belgium, and toast.

Reps. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) and Walter B. Jones (R-N.C.), the instigators of "the culinary rebuke," would tell the Times why they've flip-flopped like John Kerry on this most pressing issue. Or, for that matter, whether they'll be ordering any of the French (by way of Belgium, OK) foods. Or why they wasted all of our time with their idiocy. Or whether this presages a wholesale surrender in Iraq.

Whole story here.

Comments

|8.2.06 @ 9:13AM|#

Congress is way behind the times. I call 'em Terror Fries.

|8.2.06 @ 9:21AM|#

In this War on Fat you're either with us or against us. Serving deep-fried potatoes in Congress sends the wrong message to The Children.

|8.2.06 @ 9:23AM|#

Do they still carry liberty cabbage?

|8.2.06 @ 9:39AM|#

Can't make a Reuben without liberty cabbage, freedom cheese, and Pershing II dressing.

|8.2.06 @ 9:48AM|#

Congress: the new Axis of Weasels.

|8.2.06 @ 10:02AM|#

new?

Jennifer|8.2.06 @ 10:09AM|#

A couple of weeks ago Jeff and I went to an outdoor fair with a line of booths selling various fair-foods. I was going to stand in the fish and chips line until I saw on the menu that along with the fish, the guy was selling "freedom fries."

Much as I wanted some fried fish I just couldn't bring myself to fork over any money to a jingoistic ass. So I had Thai chicken instead. If Buddhist terrorists attack America y'all know who to blame.

|8.2.06 @ 10:09AM|#

I'm all in favour of Congress spending thousands of hours debating the merits of their menu titles.

Think about it: the more time they spend worrying about what to call their lunches, the less time they have to spend our money and screw up our world.

|8.2.06 @ 10:27AM|#

What, no comment on the Congressional softball league split?

lunchstealer|8.2.06 @ 11:15AM|#

French toast, of course, is indeed French in origin, but the 'french' in french fries refers to the method of cutting, and the full name for fries is 'french cut fries'.

|8.2.06 @ 11:22AM|#

An ice-cream store owner in my city changed "French Vanilla" to "English Vanilla."

Nor really a good idea, in a city heavily populated by French-Canadians.

I don't think this idiocy should be allowed to slip away quietly. National- and ethnicity-based bigotry, egged on by elected political leaders, is very dangerous, and can get out of hand.

Remember when Bush threatened Mexicans after Fox came out against the war?

|8.2.06 @ 11:58AM|#

The food service guys should compromise, and call their pommes frites "Potatoes Lafayette".

Kevin

|8.2.06 @ 2:30PM|#

Well, with the exception of maybe reprinting the menus, this little excursion into retardation didn't cost us any money. Thank Jebus for small favors I suppose.

Gene Berkman|8.2.06 @ 6:18PM|#

Rep. Walter Jones has actually changed his view of the Iraq War, and is now co-sponsor of a bill that calls for a timetable for withdrawing the troops. A hopeful sign.

|8.2.06 @ 7:04PM|#

When my girlfriend gets home, I'm going to give her a deep, passionate Freedom kiss.

Hmm, tastes like. . .America.

|8.3.06 @ 12:54AM|#

Much as I wanted some fried fish I just couldn't bring myself to fork over any money to a jingoistic ass.

Gah! We've got a local Chicago-Style hot dog chain who insists on using the "freedom fries" monkier. The owner also has a near-shrines to 9-11 and Ronald Reagan at his West Allis location.

I'd boycot his ass too (which I'd do regardless of his politics since A) I'm hetro, and B) it's not worth looking at to begin with), but you can't beat his .99 hot dog (your choice of regular, kruat, chili, or Chicago)deal each Sunday. It's a good thing I prefer onion rings.