Freedom fries

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Revision as of 16:21, 28 March 2009

Freedom fries is a term coined by U.S. Congressman Walter Jones (R-NC) in response to France's refusal to join the carnage in the Iraq War that the US was busy launching in late 2002 - early 2003. He sponsored a bill requiring the Capitol cafeterias to relabel "french fries" as "freedom fries".

In the United States, fried potato strips (called "chips" in the UK) have long been referred to as french fries. However, in 2003 the same Bush Administration which delivered two recessions issued a mournful edict: the occasion of this directive was the intransigence of France, which refused to mobilize an armored division to pre-emptively invade Iraq after Colin Powell went before the United Nations Security Council and revealed incontrovertible evidence of the presence of Weapons of Mass Destruction there. In retaliation, the President declared that french fries would henceforth be labeled freedom fries, solely and forever. [1]

Woody Allen replied that he would rather give a french kiss to his wife rather than a freedom kiss.

On March 11, 2003, the cafeteria menus in the three House office buildings changed the name of french fries to freedom fries to comply with the new regulation. During the lead up to Operation Iraqi Freedom that same week, Turkey refused to allow the 4th Infantry Division to transit their country and open up a second front in the north of Iraq. Fresh from his success in chastening the French, President Bush issued a second Executive Order declaring that the Thanksgiving Turkey would now be known as the Independence Bird.

Signs are still seen here and there proclaiming that freedom fries are on offer.

Compare this phenomenon to the substitutions of "hot dog" for "frankfurter" (which caught on enough to survive) and "liberty cabbage" for "sauerkraut" (which is downright silly, and didn't).

Footnotes

  1. Technically, "freedom fries" was coined by U.S. Congressman Walter Jones (R-NC) who has since turned into an opponent of the Iraq War. Better late than never!
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