Freedom fries
{{Short description|Politically motivated euphemism for French fries}}
{{Good article}}
Image:Freedom-Fries-Menu.jpg cafeteria featuring freedom fries]]
Freedom fries was a politically motivated renaming of french fries in the United States. The term was coined in February 2003 in a North Carolina restaurant, and was widely publicized a month later when the then Republican Chairman of the Committee on House Administration, Bob Ney, renamed the menu item in three Congressional cafeterias. The political renaming occurred in context of France's opposition to the proposed invasion of Iraq. Although some restaurants around the nation adopted the renaming, the term became unpopular, in part due to decreasing popularity of the Iraq War. After Ney's resignation as Chairman in 2006, the change of name in congressional cafeterias was reverted.
Background
=French opposition to the Iraq war=
After the September 11 attacks by Al-Qaeda and the declaration of a "War on Terror" by President George W. Bush, an invasion of Iraq was proposed. During the United Nations Security Council deliberations, French Minister of Foreign Affairs Dominique de Villepin made it clear France would neither support nor participate in the invasion, and that it would veto any resolution that mandates an invasion of Iraq.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/jan/22/germany.france|title=France and Germany unite against Iraq war|date=January 22, 2003|access-date=April 1, 2013|work=The Guardian}} Though Russia and China also opposed the invasion, they had not threatened to use their veto power on the Security Council; as such, France was perceived as the main barrier to the American and British effort to secure a UN mandate for invasion. This caused some Americans to accuse France of betrayal, reigniting prior anti-French sentiment in the United States.{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/04/beyond-freedom-fries-the-roots-of-american-francophobia/256253/|title=Beyond Freedom Fries: The Roots of American Francophobia|date=April 23, 2012|access-date=April 2, 2013|author=Max Fisher|work=The Atlantic}}
=Initial renaming=
Renaming was initiated in February 2003 by Beaufort, North Carolina, "Cubbie's" restaurant owner Neal Rowland, who said he was motivated by similar actions against Germany in World War I, when "sauerkraut was called liberty cabbage, and frankfurters were renamed hot dogs." {{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5240572.stm|title=French fries back on House menu|date=August 2, 2006|access-date=February 5, 2013|work=BBC News}}{{cite news|title=Hill fries free to be French again|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2006/aug/2/20060802-125318-3981r/?page=2|access-date=September 12, 2012|newspaper=The Washington Times|date=August 2, 2006|author=Christina Bellantoni}} In an interview about the name change, Rowland commented, "since the French are backing down [from the war], French fries and French everything needs to be banned."{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/americans-just-say-non-to-french-products|title=Americans Just Say 'Non' to French Products|date=February 19, 2003|access-date=April 2, 2013|work=Fox News Channel|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514145435/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,79038,00.html|archive-date=2013-05-14|url-status=live}} In March 2007, Rowland obtained a trademark registration for the term "freedom fries", which was cancelled in November 2013.{{cite web|url=http://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=76495776&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSearch|title=Latest Status Info, TM Reg. 3220999|work=United States Patent and Trademark Office|date=March 11, 2003|access-date=December 22, 2022}}
U.S. House adoption
File:Cubbies-Freedom Fries.jpg
On March 11, 2003, Republican U.S. Representatives Bob Ney and Walter B. Jones directed the three House cafeterias to change all references to French fries, French toast, and French bread on menus, and replace them with Freedom fries, Freedom toast, and Freedom bread, respectively.{{cite news |author=Entertainment team |date=2003-03-19 |title=Why stop there? Being mad at the French means renaming more than just fries |work=Daily Press |location=Newport News, Virginia |page=D1}}{{cite news |date=2004-08-11 |title=Chef Todd Misener began his career as a dishwasher |work=Northwest Florida Daily News |location= |page=D5}} Jones chose to follow Cubbie's example by circulating a letter to his colleagues advocating their renaming because, he said, "the French were 'sitting on the sidelines.{{'"}}{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/03/11/sprj.irq.fries/|title=House cafeterias change names for 'french' fries and 'french' toast|date=March 12, 2003|access-date=March 20, 2008|author=Sean Loughlin|work=CNN}} As Ney was Chairman of the United States House Committee on House Administration, the action did not require any vote, as the committee has authority over House cafeterias. According to a statement released by Ney, the renaming was intended to express displeasure with France's "continued refusal to stand with their U.S. allies." 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."{{cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/house-now-serving-freedom-fries|work=Fox News|title=House Now Serving 'Freedom Fries'|date=March 11, 2003|access-date=February 5, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130201005121/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,80700,00.html|archive-date=2013-02-01|url-status=live}} When asked about his view on the change, Jones said it was a "lighthearted gesture."{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/12/national/12FRIES.html|title=An Order of Fries, Please, but Do Hold the French|author=Sheryl Gay Stolberg|date=March 12, 2003|access-date=March 20, 2013|work=The New York Times}} This also came to apply to dining halls for the Coalition Provisional Authority and the Multi-National Force – Iraq during the U.S. occupation of Iraq.{{Cite book|last=Chandrasekaran|first=Rajiv|url=http://archive.org/details/imperiallifeinem00chan|title=Imperial life in the emerald city : inside Iraq's green zone|date=2007|publisher=Vintage Books|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-307-27883-8|location=New York}}
=Reactions=
In response to the change, French Embassy spokeswoman Nathalie Loiseau commented "It's exactly a non-issue ... we focus on the serious issues"{{cite web|url=http://www.gannettonline.com/gns/faceoff2/20030312-18100.shtml|title=French fries? Mais non, Congress calls em freedom fries|author=Greg Wright|date=March 12, 2003|access-date=March 27, 2013|work=Gannett News Service|archive-date=September 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924020703/http://www.gannettonline.com/gns/faceoff2/20030312-18100.shtml|url-status=dead}} and noted that fries originated in Belgium.Iacocca, Lee, Where Have All the Leaders Gone?, p. 62. (Scribner Book Company, 2008) {{ISBN|978-141-653-2491}}. She then remarked that France's position on the change was that they were "in a very serious moment dealing with very serious issues, and we are not focusing on the name [Americans] give to potatoes."{{cite web|url=http://articles.cnn.com/2003-03-11/politics/sprj.irq.fries_1_freedom-toast-french-fries-and-french-freedom-fries|title=Freedom toast, French Fries and French Freedom Fries|work=CNN|date=March 11, 2003|access-date=September 13, 2013}}{{dead link|date=August 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} After the name reversal, an embassy spokeswoman said: "our relations are definitely much more important than potatoes ... and our relations are back on track."
In a 2005 opinion poll by Gallup, participants were asked if they felt the renaming of French fries and toast was "a silly idea or a sincere expression of patriotism;" 66% answered it was silly, 33% answered it was patriotic, and 1% had no opinion. However, only 15% of participants actually considered using the term "freedom fries"; 80% said they would continue to call them "french fries".Gallup, Alec, The Gallup Poll: Public Opinion 2005, p. 71. (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2006) {{ISBN|978-074-255-2586}}. Several restaurants followed the Houses' change.{{cite web|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/washington/2003-03-11-freedom-fries_x.htm|title=French fries get new name in House|date=March 11, 2003|access-date=February 12, 2013|work=USA Today}} As of 2020, several American restaurants still used the name "freedom fries".{{Cite web |date=2020-01-28 |title=Why are these American restaurants still serving "freedom fries"? |url=https://theface.com/life/france-us-iraq-invasion-freedom-fries-french-fries-sofitel-fuddruckers |access-date=2024-02-13 |website=The Face |language=en-gb}} Opposing the name change, The Saturn Cafe in Santa Cruz, California, changed their menu to "Impeach George W. Bush fries."{{cite web|url=http://cannabisnews.com/news/17/thread17244.shtml|title=Santa Cruz Makes Its Mark On The World|author=Dan White|publisher=Cannabis News|work=Santa Cruz Sentinel|date=September 7, 2003|access-date=February 8, 2013}} Meanwhile, Reckitt Benckiser, maker of French's mustard, were sufficiently concerned about the movement to publicly clarify that its brand derived from a family name.{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/french-s-mustard-denies-french-connection-1.364949|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061017073247/http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2003/03/27/french030327.html|url-status=live|archive-date=October 17, 2006|title=French's mustard denies French connection|work=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|date=March 27, 2003|access-date=September 9, 2012}}
File:AmericanFries.JPG. The sign previously read "French".]]
Massachusetts Democratic Congressman Barney Frank noted that the change made "Congress look even sillier than it sometimes looks,"{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2061530_2061531_2061545,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110418164310/http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2061530_2061531_2061545,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 18, 2011|title=French Fries to "Freedom" Fries|author=Alexandra Silver|date=March 28, 2011|access-date=February 8, 2013|magazine=Time}} New York Democratic Congressman José Serrano characterized the renaming as "petty grandstanding," and urged fellow legislators to concentrate on more pressing issues.{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2842493.stm|title=US Congress opts for "freedom fries"|date=March 12, 2003|access-date=March 8, 2013|work=BBC}}
The French American indie band Freedom Fry chose their name based on the Freedom Fries phenomenon.{{cite web|url=http://www.freedomfrymusic.com/about/|title=About Freedom Fry|work=Freedom Fry|access-date=February 5, 2013}} In 2005, Robert Plant and his band Strange Sensation released the album Mighty ReArranger, which contains the track '"Freedom Fries," an anti-war song whose lyrics contains the words "Freedom fries and burns and scars, the liberator goes too far."{{cite web|url=http://www.lyricsfreak.com/r/robert+plant+the+strange+sensation/freedom+fries_20804640.html|title=Robert Plant & The Strange Sensation Freedom Fries Lyrics|access-date=February 8, 2013}}
=Policy reversal=
On August 2, 2006, the House cafeteria menus were changed back without any announcement. The change was made by the new House Administration Committee Chairman, Vern Ehlers, who replaced Ney following his resignation due to a scandal. When asked about his decision, Ehlers responded, "It's no big deal ... It's not news."{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna14152281|title=Fries are French again on Capitol Hill|date=August 2, 2006|access-date=February 5, 2013|work=NBC News|author=Michael Viqueira}} When asked in 2005 about his opinion on the "freedom fries" episode, Walter B. Jones responded, "I wish it had never happened."{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/may/25/usa.jamiewilson1|title=French fries protester regrets war jibe|work=The Guardian|date=May 25, 2005|access-date=September 11, 2012|author=Jamie Wilson|location=Washington, D.C.}}
See also
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
{{commons category|Freedom fries }}
- [http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/03/11/freedom.fries/index.html "House restaurants change name of 'french fries' and 'french toast'", CNN.com, March 11, 2003]
- [http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/Movies/09/03/depp.us.reax.reut/ Johnny Depp on the Freedom Fries incident, "U.S. is like a stupid puppy", CNN.com, September 3, 2003]
{{Potato dishes}}{{Iraq War}}{{DEFAULTSORT:Freedom Fries}}
Category:2000s fads and trends
Category:Anti-French sentiment in the United States
Category:American political neologisms
Category:Propaganda in the United States
Category:Propaganda in the Iraq War
Category:France–United States relations
Category:108th United States Congress
Category:Political terminology