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Old February 17, 2003, 21:09   #31
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Let get things straight.


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French fries are the Rodney Dangerfields of snacks - they get no respect. But don't tell that to the well-heeled patrons of B. Frites in downtown Manhattan. Hordes of gussied-up theatergoers elbow their way to this Broadway spot to sample fries that even Belgians - who insist they invented the "French" fry - would agree are among the world's best.

First cultivated some 1,800 years ago in South America, the potato, because of its great versatility, quickly became a staple of the Belgian diet when it was introduced there in 1583.

Belgium's fertile flatland made for superb potato growing, and today, the New Jersey-size country produces almost 1 billion tons a year. Each citizen devours about 220 pounds of potatoes annually - twice the amount consumed by the average American.

Despite the "French" prefix, food lore insists that Belgians invented the fry or "frite" (pronounced freet).

In the 19th century, Belgians typically fried the fish they caught in the Meuse River. But - so the story goes - severe ice one winter made fishing impossible, so French-speaking Belgians cut potatoes into the shape of small fish and fried them instead.

A Belgian entrepreneur named - what else? - Frits allegedly opened the first fried-potato stand (friterie) in Brussels, creating a tasty snack and cultural icon in one fell swoop. Today, Belgium is home to more than 7,000 friteries.

So why the French fry and not the Belgian fry? Could it be because we already have Belgian endive and Brussels sprouts? Actually, several explanations have emerged:

1. Thomas Jefferson, Founding Father and US ambassador to France, reportedly introduced a dish of "potatoes, fried in the French manner" at a dinner party at his Virginia home, Monticello. His guests loved them.

2. The term "Frenching" also refers cutting potatoes into narrow strips.

3. American soldiers fighting in World War I discovered friteries in Belgium, but since the language used was French, the Americans mistakenly named the treat French fries.

American bumbling went a long way toward creating that other great spud snack, the potato chip. George Crum, chef at Moon Lake Lodge in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., was tired of receiving complaints that his fries were too thick and not tasty enough.

Fed up, he tried slicing his potatoes ultra-thin, frying them to a crisp, and salting them heavily. The customers were impressed, and Saratoga chips were born.

Before consumers became wedded to Ruffles and Pringles, chips were made slightly chewy. And as Jefferson could tell you, they were real dinner fare, not an afterthought at the summer barbecue. Today, these chewy chips, seasoned with Cajun spices, or cooked in truffle oil, are finding a home in upscale steakhouses as appetizers.

Making great-tasting fries is serious business in Belgium. For those raised on typical fast-food-type fries - smaller, greasier, and cut from Idaho potatoes - they offer a unique experience.

True Belgian fries, says B. Frites chef/owner Skel Islamaj, a native of Belgium, use Bintjes potatoes. "Most of the culinary world of the US is oriented toward the Idaho potato," says Mr. Islamaj. "Everybody thinks that's what to use for fries. We beg to differ."

The yellow creamy flesh of the Bintjes variety has a high-starch, low-moisture, and low-sugar content that enhances the light, crispy golden-potato taste so sought after in fries.

Many authentic Belgian fries are cooked in beef fat, but Islamaj prefers soybean oil. Unlike some chefs, however, he doesn't wash the potato slices before frying. This keeps the starch - and flavor - intact.

So can the average "you want fries with that?" cook reproduce the B. Frites legendary flavor?

Well, not quite. Not unless you have the same $20,000 specially made Rubbens fryer that Islamaj credits with 40 percent of the fries' flavor. Standard rectangle fryers, he says, don't provide the consistent heating temperature that the rounded Rubbens does.

In his pursuit of potato perfection, he has even learned to adjust the oil temperature ever so slightly to account for varying starch content through the seasons.


Traditional belgian fries

Why all the fuss? For Islamaj, it's a matter of national pride: "You don't go to get good sushi from a guy in the Bronx; you go to a Japanese guy," he says.

Home cooks with considerably less pride and resources should still be able to capture the Belgian flavor with a decent substitute like the Yukon Gold potato.

It is critical when using the double-fry method to let the potatoes fully "sweat" out the oil between fryings. Rushed batches will be soggy.

How to "top" the perfect fry? B. Frites customers are confronted with more than a dozen choices, including "my Thai" made from red curry, coconut milk, peanuts, and oil; Andalouse, a traditional Belgian mayonnaise with bell peppers, garlic, and tomatoes; and roasted garlic ketchup.

So even when you boycott, you boycott the wrong people!
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Old February 17, 2003, 21:15   #32
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Stone evil Belgians!! Justine Henin MUST be burned alive!
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Old February 17, 2003, 21:20   #33
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Okay so now we're boycotting Belgium. Now quickly find some way to boycott Slovenia, those Slovenes have been getting pretty uppity being next to Italy and all.
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Old February 17, 2003, 21:28   #34
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I saw this BMW that had its windshield broken up, and spray painted on the side "Tratior!" spelled just like that.....
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Old February 17, 2003, 21:33   #35
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Still. the window IS the message. I think that the BMW driver will be able to read it.

I don't advocate such acts, but hey, '**** happens'.
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Old February 17, 2003, 21:50   #36
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Thorn : did you see this in the news or in the streets ?
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Old February 17, 2003, 21:59   #37
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why is it hard to believe?

They even think about putting green labels on french wines so they won't buy them

Don't worry though it's all temporary.
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Old February 17, 2003, 22:05   #38
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Paiktis :
It's hard to believe because I thought stupidity was evenly dispatched on this planet, and I've never seen such a thing in Europe.
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Old February 17, 2003, 22:08   #39
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well, believe it

I'll still buy French wines though, they rock
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Old February 17, 2003, 22:23   #40
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I'll still buy Greek feta whenever I find it, it rocks too (unfortunately, I have to stick with supermarket fetas ; at least, one brand makes them only with goatmilk, and no despicable cowmilk )
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Old February 17, 2003, 22:40   #41
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Quote:

3. American soldiers fighting in World War I discovered friteries in Belgium, but since the language used was French, the Americans mistakenly named the treat French fries.
Paiktis:
What the Americans giveth, they can taketh away.
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Old February 18, 2003, 00:35   #42
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Now that is funny.
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Old February 18, 2003, 03:16   #43
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the south is ignorant and reactionary
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Old February 18, 2003, 03:25   #44
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So, what happens to the Mardi Gras now?

The stupidity of people never ceases to amaze. Oh dear...
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Old February 18, 2003, 03:48   #45
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Quote:
Originally posted by obiwan18


Paiktis:
What the Americans giveth, they can taketh away.
Americans are stupid. Lets just leave it at that
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Old February 18, 2003, 03:53   #46
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You mean down in N'Orleans?

That's N'Orleans, not France.

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Old February 18, 2003, 03:54   #47
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Quote:
Originally posted by The Mad Monk
You mean down in N'Orleans?

That's N'Orleans, not France.

Wouldn't it be "New O"? Orelans is such a terrorist name....
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Old February 18, 2003, 04:15   #48
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Tas, the Americans are not stupid, they have about the same proportion of morons than the rest of the world has, and certainly about the same as we have

theirs just speak louder these days, unfortunately

but no US bashing because of one specific moron out of 280 millions svp, let's not fall into these crass over simplifications that we're ourselves the victims of these days
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Old February 18, 2003, 04:20   #49
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Quote:
Originally posted by Maroule

but no US bashing because of one specific moron out of 280 millions svp, let's not fall into these crass over simplifications that we're ourselves the victims of these days
Trust me, go out and ask random people on the street questions about the current world....Most of them wont answer correctly When I came to this country, I had heard the averege people are soooo intelligent and all that.....And I come here and their not. Their stupid. The averege Russian knows more about the world around them than the averege American knows about the state around them.

I'm not "crassly oversimplifying" things. I've been here quite a while, and the ratio of stuipd-to-intelligent is strikingly unfavorable.

Americans are unintelligent because they dont need to be intelligent. They dont need to know about the world around them so they would rather deal with the finances or just enjoy their lives. Thats good in some ways, bad in a lot of others.

Edit: Though I will admit, the french arent much better
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Old February 18, 2003, 05:44   #50
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If Finland should join France and Germany, would Tom of Finland become Tom of Freedom?
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Old February 18, 2003, 05:56   #51
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Their stupid.
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Old February 18, 2003, 06:24   #52
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Pardon me if my midnight English isn't the best. And if I can't be bothered to type in the correct words ON THE INTERNET of all places.

Debate the point, dont be a nazi.
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Old February 18, 2003, 07:07   #53
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Tas,
you're pointing at a lack of knowledge, or of culture, not at a lack of intelligence. Having worked a long time in the US, I truly havn't seen more morons there than anywhere else. I have seen moronic behaviour, and certainly 99% of the media and politicians dumbing down issues, but I see that around the globe and in the end, we're all the same. Our cr*p stinks likewise.
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Old February 18, 2003, 08:45   #54
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Not all Americans are stupid, Tassadar. Only the 48 million that voted Bush.
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Old February 18, 2003, 09:17   #55
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Why are Americans so... stupid... and oblivious, I never can decipher how we can control most of the god damn world being supported by the morons that we have everywhere in this country?!
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Old February 18, 2003, 09:49   #56
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apparently being full of morons is necessary condition for becoming the MOST POWERFUL nation in the world.

man, i'd be embarrassed if i were from another country...
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Old February 18, 2003, 09:49   #57
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Old February 18, 2003, 10:01   #58
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Another dazzlingly original French-bashing thread.
My cup runneth over......
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Old February 18, 2003, 10:30   #59
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would Tom of Finland become Tom of Freedom?


You DO know who's Tom of Finland?
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Old February 18, 2003, 11:09   #60
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Quote:
Originally posted by Odin
This reminds me of WWI when people removed everything German from sight, even German-Americans were blacklisted, mugged, etc.
Even worse for the Japaneses in WWII. They got locked up in concentration camps.
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