Freedom fries

Menu from a House of Representatives cafeteria featuring Freedom Fries

Freedom fries is a political euphemism for French fries used by some people in the United States as a result of anti-French sentiment during the controversy over the U.S. decision to launch the 2003 invasion of Iraq. France expressed strong opposition in the United Nations to such an invasion. Some frowned upon the French position, leading to campaigns for the boycotting of French goods and businesses and the removal of the country's name from products.

The Congressional renaming

On March 11, 2003 Representatives Robert W. Ney (R-Ohio) and Walter B. Jones, Jr. (R-North Carolina) declared that all references to French fries and French toast on the menus of the restaurants and snack bars run by the House of Representatives would be removed. House cafeterias were ordered to rename French fries "freedom fries". This action was carried out without a congressional vote, under the authority of Ney's position as Chairman of the Committee on House Administration, which oversees restaurant operations for the chamber. The simultaneous renaming of French toast to "freedom toast" attracted less attention.^[1]

Cubbie's: Now Serving Freedom Fries

A snack bar sign advertising "American" fries at Knott's Berry Farm. The sign formerly read "French".

According to a statement released by Ney, this move was intended to express displeasure with France's "continued refusal to stand with their U.S. allies" (see Iraq disarmament crisis). The statement further read: "This action today is a small but symbolic effort to show the strong displeasure many on Capitol Hill have with our so-called ally, France."^[1][2]

The Embassy of France in Washington, D.C. made no comment beyond pointing out that French fries come from Belgium. "We are at a very serious moment dealing with very serious issues and we are not focusing on the name you give to potatoes," said Nathalie Loisau, an embassy spokeswoman. Critics also asserted that "French fries" were called such because they are "frenched", or thinly sliced,^[3] although this might be a false etymology; the first American reference to French fries was made by Thomas Jefferson, who referred to them as "potatoes, fried in the French Manner".^[4]

Congressmen Ney and Jones were not the first to rename French fries "freedom fries"; a number of private restaurants across the country began the renaming movement. Neal Rowland, owner of the privately owned fast-food restaurant Cubbie's in Beaufort, North Carolina began the movement by selling his fried potato strips under the name "freedom fries". Rowland claimed that his intent was not to slight the French people, but rather to be "patriotic and supportive of President George W. Bush" after hearing the news of the French opposition on 19 February 2003. He explained that the name change came to mind after a conversation with a history teacher about World War I, during which anti-German sentiment prompted Americans to rename German foods^[5] (Sauerkraut was renamed "liberty cabbage".)^[6] Many of Rowland's customers are local military troops. In March 2007, Rowland obtained a U.S. trademark registration for the mark "freedom fries".^[7] The name change is still used by some restaurants, such as Geno's Steaks in Philadelphia^[8] and the chain restaurant Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill.

Reckitt Benckiser, makers of French's mustard, was sufficiently concerned to clarify that their brand name was derived from a family name, and to issue a press release affirming its patriotism.^[9][10]

Policy reversal

In May 2005, Representative Jones, having arrived at the belief that the United States went to war "with no justification", said of the "freedom fries" episode: "I wish it had never happened."^[11] By July 2006, the House had quietly changed the name of the two foods in all of its restaurants back to "French fries" and "French toast".^[12]

In pop culture

In the March 15, 2003 episode of Saturday Night Live, Tina Fey reported this on the satirical Weekend Update: "In a related story, in France, American cheese is now referred to as 'idiot cheese'."^[13]

See also

• Cheese-eating surrender monkeys
• Francophobia
• Jingoism
• Minuteman Salsa
• Old Europe
• Roses of the Prophet Muhammad
• Victory Gin

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Loughlin, Sean (2003-03-12). "House cafeterias change names for 'french' fries and 'french' toast". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/03/11/sprj.irq.fries/. Retrieved 2008-03-20. 
2. ^ "House Now Serving 'Freedom Fries'". Fox News. 2003-03-11. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,80700,00.html. 
3. ^ "frenched - Definitions from Dictionary.com". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. Dictionary.com. 2006-01-01. http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=frenched. Retrieved 2008-03-20. 
4. ^ "The History of French Fries". Oxford Dictionary of the English Language. 2002-06-06. Archived from the original on 2002-06-06. http://web.archive.org/web/20020606020850/http://www.tx7.com/fries/docs/history.html. Retrieved 2008-03-20. 
5. ^ "French fries back on House menu". BBC. 2006-08-02. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5240572.stm. Retrieved 2008-03-20. 
6. ^ "Over Here: World War I on the Home Front". Digital History. http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=531. Retrieved 2006-07-12. 
7. ^ "Latest Status Info". United States Patent and Trademark Office. 2003-03-11. http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=76495776. Retrieved 2008-03-20. 
8. ^ "Welcome To Geno's Steaks - The Best in South Philly". Geno's Steaks. Archived from the original on 2008-03-18. http://web.archive.org/web/20080318035123/http://www.genosteaks.com/ourmenu.html. Retrieved 2008-03-20. 
9. ^ "French's mustard denies French connection". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2003-03-27. http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2003/03/27/french030327.html. Retrieved 2008-03-20. 
10. ^ Emery, David (2003-04-16). "Statement from French's Mustard". about.com. http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl-frenchs-mustard.htm. Retrieved 2008-03-20. 
11. ^ Wilson, Jamie (2005-05-25). "French fries protester regrets war jibe". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2005/may/25/usa.jamiewilson1. Retrieved 2008-03-20. 
12. ^ Bellantoni, Christina (2006-08-02). "Hill fries free to be French again ; GOP in House mum about it". Washington Times: pp. A.01. ISSN 07328494. 
13. ^ "Weekend Update with Jimmy Fallon & Tina Fey". March 15th, 2003. http://snltranscripts.jt.org/02/02oupdate.phtml. Retrieved July 22, 2011. 

External links

• "House restaurants change name of 'french fries' and 'french toast'", CNN.com, March 11, 2003
• Johnny Depp on the Freedom Fries incident, "U.S. is like a stupid puppy", CNN.com, Sept 3, 2003
• "French fries back on House menu", BBC News, 2 August 2006