No better way to make me feel old than things I remember as current events turning up on TIL.
Posted by nudave@reddit | Xennials | View on Reddit | 30 comments
Curtainmachine@reddit
Don’t forget about Liberty Cabbage
InvestmentMain8414@reddit
OK as a non American I remember Freedom Fries....but Liberty Cabbage? What is that?
Curtainmachine@reddit
What they renamed Sauerkraut during ww1 in the same patriotic spirit to remove any German associations. See also: “liberty” steaks and pups for hamburgers and dachsunds
maggie320@reddit
That reminds me of when the Cincinnati Reds changed their name to the Redlegs during the Red Scare of the 50s.
xtlhogciao@reddit
And “kraut” then referred to the Germans themselves, at least to the British in WW1 (I don’t think Americans largely adopted it until WW2, but I could be wrong)
InvestmentMain8414@reddit
Huh, TIL. Im going to mention this to my history buff dad when I see hum on Sunday.
ThepalehorseRiderr@reddit
Salisbury steak became a patriotic alternative to hamburgers in WW1.
CommonNative@reddit
Don't forget the people buying French wine to....pour down the sewers.
maggie320@reddit
My poor mother would’ve been crying if she saw that. “Don’t waste wine like that”.
ThepalehorseRiderr@reddit
Totally missed the opportunity to just give a bunch of homeless dudes a bunch of really swank, expensive wine.
nudave@reddit (OP)
That’ll show em.
BiscottiLeading@reddit
I love French dip sandwiches. When this was going on I would still order them as French dips, more out of habit than principle. Not one waitress cared, except one old battle axe in a greasy spoon by the warehouses. She said "you mean an American dip sandwich right?" And I was all sure whatever, she would not drop it until I said American dip. And I had to say freedom fries instead of just fries.
djsynrgy@reddit
I would have asked for her manager or otherwise walked out on her. F that noise. 😆
BiscottiLeading@reddit
Nah, it wasn't that big of deal, and I never want to make a scene. Plus I was there with my husband (new boyfriend at the time) and his friends. It was by where they worked. We just giggled after she left, and than it was those times where you try to stop laughing but you can't. And every time the waitress came back it made it worse. The sandwich was pretty good too.
fave_no_more@reddit
I was an intern in Congress when the freedom fries nonsense was going on.
What I remember from that time was, most people thought it was silly.
TwistingEcho@reddit
That being said TiL about Freedom Fries... (Not American)
clutzycook@reddit
I saw that too and thought, "that's silly. How could you not already know about something that happened...oh God."
nudave@reddit (OP)
“Freedom fries” can legally drink now.
nworbleinad@reddit
And join the armed forces.
Homelessavacadotoast@reddit
Freedom Onion Soup was my favorite dish of the era…
ThepalehorseRiderr@reddit
That was the dumbest clap back ever. I, as an American, had no I'll will towards France and didn't care that they held their own opinion. Hell, I agreed with them. It definitely seemed like at the time that we were interested in hitting back and didn't much care who.
Funkopedia@reddit
I swear i heard people referencing that, as a joke, right up until last year
balding_git@reddit
i still call them that every now and then because its hilarious
Lou_Skunnt69@reddit
Typical Republican response. All bluster. Doesn’t accomplish shit.
jawnbaejaeger@reddit
My college cafeteria jokingly changed it to Freedom toast and Freedom fries for a few days.
leeloocal@reddit
Thank god that lasted for about ten seconds, because it was stupid.
wilko_johnson_lives@reddit
I was at Fort Knox Kentucky when this went down
cbih@reddit
French Fries were introduced to America by Thomas Jefferson.
mikemar05@reddit
I was studying in Europe for a semester when that happened. I didn't believe my family when they told me. Thought it was a stupid joke they were pulling
ObligationJumpy6415@reddit
LOL I just came across that and thought the same thing 😅