Ceci n'est pas une French fry.

Wednesday, March 12th, 2003

Oh for pity’s sake. When Jeremy told me yesterday that French fries were going to be renamed “Freedom fries” in the cafeterias of Capitol Hill, I flat-out refused to believe it, even though he assured me that he was reading the story on CNN and not the Onion.

But last night I came across the story at Yahoo, and today the New York Times (reg: wrreaders) was telling me same thing. So sadly, all this silliness appears to be true.

You know, I don’t even really know how to respond to this, other than to say that it is one of the most stupid, frivolous, pointless, embarassing, petty, immature and utterly inane things I could imagine reading in the news. It’s one thing when Joe Blow in Backwater, U.S.A. tacks up a sign in his truck stop diner that says “Now serving Freedom Fries”. I mean, that’s stupid, but hey, whatever. It’s quite another thing when Congress does the same thing. To me, it belittles the entire complicated process of diplomacy with foreign nations, and it demonstrates a remarkable lack of seriousness or intellectual depth. And it’s dumb.

The nonchalant (ooh, a French word!) French response to the whole thing is hilarious (as if the French really give a merde what Congressmen in America are eating for lunch). From the NYT: “Noting that French fries originated in Belgium,” - [touche!] - “a French Embassy spokeswoman did not seem amused. ‘I wonder if it’s worth a comment,’ the spokeswoman, Nathalie Loiseau, said. ‘Honestly. We are working these days on very, very serious issues of war and peace, life or death. We are not working on potatoes.’”

No kidding, lady.

Comments

1

I’m from Texas and I am ashamed of the president … let’s elect Natalie Maines! She may have a big mouth but, at least, she’s not a stooge.

Posted by Michael

2

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