4 ms·

I like how people will be snobby about everything. Belgian-style French fries can be good, but that doesn't mean that they're better than the rest, it's a matte

by simias 6y ago

I like how people will be snobby about everything. Belgian-style French fries can be good, but that doesn't mean that they're better than the rest, it's a matter of taste. I personally prefer McDonalds-style fries which are smaller and more homogeneous. And no I'm not ashamed of that, it's fried potatoes, not some kind of fancy technical delicacy. There's no wrong target. Some people enjoy deep-dish pizza. It kinda baffles me but I wouldn't be telling them that they're "shooting for the wrong target" if they tried to replicate this particular recipe because that's what they like.

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
mauvehaus 6y ago
Sorry, I didn't think my claim that a particular style of French fry is best required a disclaimer that it was a statement of opinion and not objective fact :-) I do think that entirely too few people in the US have ever tried anything other than fries of smaller cross section and that properly cooked Belgian style fries would be a revelation for a great number of people over here. Besides, the whole premise of TFA is based on snobbery and a bit of nostalgia. They're recreating the old McDonalds fries, not the new because of the perceived superiority of the old ones, after all. I only argue that if you're going to be a snob, you should at least be a well-informed snob, though perhaps my intended humor came across poorly over the internet. Imagine reading an article written by somebody who has never tried deep dish pizza (or any other kind) writing about their quest to replicate an old Dominos crust recipe.
- jjeaff 6y ago
  >I do think that entirely too few people in the US have ever tried anything other than fries of smaller cross section Unless the American eats only at fast food restaurants (which is probably a decent sized group), then I can't imagine that to be true. There are fries with many difference cross section sizes even in a regular grocery freezer aisle. And many restaurants frequently serve fries ranging from skinny shoestring to full on "potato logs" that are easily an inch diameter cross section.
- JoeAltmaier 6y ago
  Oh American restaurants have tried everything - potato wedges, cottage fries, waffle fries, sweet potato fries, steak cut, truffle, garlic, cheese, chili, curly, oven baked, even poutine. Sometimes more than one kind at the same restaurant. That's the thing about America. Somebody from every country is here, making their traditional foods or riffing on them with new ingredients and processes. I can go downtown and try Ethiopian, two British pubs, two Vietnamese, French (high and low styles), three Indian places, 4 Thai, 6 kinds of Mexican. All run by folks from those places.
  - Retric 6y ago
    The problem isn’t restaurants, the problem is the American preference for cheap, bland, calorie dense food. With such a wide range of cultures and individual preferences the most widely acceptable option ends up being fairly mediocre. Plenty of exceptions exist, but tend to be very local.
    - labster 6y ago
      Hi, I see you just arrived from 1980. Welcome to our century! Here in our time, Americans eat all kinds of ethnic foods and some people wear face masks. Thai food is currently in vogue, we now have a spicy sauce called Sriracha (born in the USA), and you can get jalapeño poppers at fast food joints. Oh, and the food trucks! The President made a campaign promise to have a taco truck on every corner!
      - eyelidlessness 6y ago
        A promise[1] not kept[2]. [1]: He expressed it as a threat. [2]: I think the hope that we'd have a taco truck on every corner was probably more unifying than anything else that's happened or been done by anyone in the US since.
      - fnord77 6y ago
        gosh, even around 1980, I remember my risk-averse parents getting chinese and indian food in nowhereville, and demon-core hot buffalo wings were popular.
- reaperducer 6y ago
  I do think that entirely too few people in the US have ever tried anything other than fries of smaller cross section and that properly cooked Belgian style fries would be a revelation for a great number of people over here. Everything tastes better when you're on vacation. Less stress. Heightened senses It's science.

by simias 6y ago

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

mauvehaus 6y ago

Sorry, I didn't think my claim that a particular style of French fry is best required a disclaimer that it was a statement of opinion and not objective fact :-) I do think that entirely too few people in the US have ever tried anything other than fries of smaller cross section and that properly cooked Belgian style fries would be a revelation for a great number of people over here. Besides, the whole premise of TFA is based on snobbery and a bit of nostalgia. They're recreating the old McDonalds fries, not the new because of the perceived superiority of the old ones, after all. I only argue that if you're going to be a snob, you should at least be a well-informed snob, though perhaps my intended humor came across poorly over the internet. Imagine reading an article written by somebody who has never tried deep dish pizza (or any other kind) writing about their quest to replicate an old Dominos crust recipe.

jjeaff 6y ago
>I do think that entirely too few people in the US have ever tried anything other than fries of smaller cross section Unless the American eats only at fast food restaurants (which is probably a decent sized group), then I can't imagine that to be true. There are fries with many difference cross section sizes even in a regular grocery freezer aisle. And many restaurants frequently serve fries ranging from skinny shoestring to full on "potato logs" that are easily an inch diameter cross section.
JoeAltmaier 6y ago
Oh American restaurants have tried everything - potato wedges, cottage fries, waffle fries, sweet potato fries, steak cut, truffle, garlic, cheese, chili, curly, oven baked, even poutine. Sometimes more than one kind at the same restaurant. That's the thing about America. Somebody from every country is here, making their traditional foods or riffing on them with new ingredients and processes. I can go downtown and try Ethiopian, two British pubs, two Vietnamese, French (high and low styles), three Indian places, 4 Thai, 6 kinds of Mexican. All run by folks from those places.
- Retric 6y ago
  The problem isn’t restaurants, the problem is the American preference for cheap, bland, calorie dense food. With such a wide range of cultures and individual preferences the most widely acceptable option ends up being fairly mediocre. Plenty of exceptions exist, but tend to be very local.
  - labster 6y ago
    Hi, I see you just arrived from 1980. Welcome to our century! Here in our time, Americans eat all kinds of ethnic foods and some people wear face masks. Thai food is currently in vogue, we now have a spicy sauce called Sriracha (born in the USA), and you can get jalapeño poppers at fast food joints. Oh, and the food trucks! The President made a campaign promise to have a taco truck on every corner!
    - eyelidlessness 6y ago
      A promise[1] not kept[2]. [1]: He expressed it as a threat. [2]: I think the hope that we'd have a taco truck on every corner was probably more unifying than anything else that's happened or been done by anyone in the US since.
    - fnord77 6y ago
      gosh, even around 1980, I remember my risk-averse parents getting chinese and indian food in nowhereville, and demon-core hot buffalo wings were popular.
reaperducer 6y ago
I do think that entirely too few people in the US have ever tried anything other than fries of smaller cross section and that properly cooked Belgian style fries would be a revelation for a great number of people over here. Everything tastes better when you're on vacation. Less stress. Heightened senses It's science.