Do you have this in America?

Where did French Fries originate? Are they French or Belgian?There is a famous origin story which attributes the coinage of this term on the ignorance of American GIs. Without worrying about the authenticity of the claims, I had blogged about this with a disclaimer. In the circle of life, I came back to this question two weeks back in the city of Liverpool when I was on a photo walk with a group of eager photographers comprising of two students from two students from the US.

I am sure the plate of chips, the term synonymous for French Fries in this part of the world, had contributed to the retelling of the origin story and thereby questioning the authenticity. Before I go further, fish and chips is a national pride although all the shops, colloquially known as chippy, is run by immigration. As the best way to a man's heart or woman's heart is through the gastronomy, there is no better way for immigrants to start their integration process. At this point, I have a confession to make. I am a fan of neither the fish nor the chips. There is too much flour coated around the fish. I like grilled fish with masala all over, but there is still an ample display of flesh. Then there is the issue of chips. The chips are very long and thick. I prefer the thin ones. I can handle two at a time, but a single thick one is a no-no.

Now let's back to our fries. Were the Americans ignorant to term it as French Fries? Take a deep breath and repeat after me. Belgian Fries. Does the name have the same appeal as French Fries? In my opinion, no. If you think Americans are ignorant, let's see what happened to my American friends in the UK. Apparently, someone in their college asked them. "Do you have KFC in the US?" I fell off the chair on hearing this question. Probably, the person who asked this question should know what K stands for KFC. When I was thinking this in my mind, I came across a different KFC in Liverpool. You can see KFC in the picture.