TIL about Freedom Fries. In 2003, France opposed the US-led invasion of Iraq. In response, businesses across the United States renamed “French fries” to “Freedom Fries” and the House of Representatives cafeteria officially renamed “French toast” to “Freedom Toast”

[-]

73-68-70-78-62-73-73@reddit

Your title makes it sound like America was behind it. They weren't. It was a stupid Republican thing that even my conservative parents thought was stupid.

[-]

Nature_Hag@reddit (OP)

Sorry, I just posted the same title they used

[-]

lordtyp0@reddit

I don't recall it being actually named freedom fries outside of the government cafeterias.

[-]

BossPina420@reddit

I worked at Disney world in Florida in 2003 and we had freedom fries in the employee cafeteria.

[-]

throwawayfromPA1701@reddit

There were media events in my area where they were buying gallons of French wine and pouring it out down the drain.

[-]

lieutenantLT@reddit

Businesses across America did no such thing. Republican politicians propounded the idea and it was a gimmick. It was not a widespread phenomenon

[-]

ambercrayon@reddit

Ok then why did I see it all over the south

[-]

Because the South is the South. I didn't see it at all in California. Probably could have found a restaurant or two if I'd stumbled back into the eastern part of the state, but that's like a different world.

[-]

Arcades_Samnoth@reddit

This became a point of pride for my relatives in Indiana (aka the South of the North). Freedom Fries, Freedom Twist bread and other insanity I can't remember.

[-]

ProfessorDull9594@reddit

Yep. I’m from Indiana. Had an uncle that would walk in to our thanksgiving dinner crowing about libruls this, and libruls that. And, we love freedom fries! That’s about the time I started fading from the family picture. They’re generally good people, but I’m repulsed by the maga state of mind, and their need to project it constantly.

[-]

lachrymologyislegit@reddit

Here in rural parts if Oregon as well. Supposedly an 80 year old woman originally from France was turned away from a motel in Eastern Oregon for the night according to a friend from the UK who knew her.

[-]

Zaphod1620@reddit

I've lived in Alabama all my 50 years and that was not a thing here.

[-]

lieutenantLT@reddit

Idk man, maybe you did. YMMV. I was in Iraq

[-]

Willing_Actuary_4198@reddit

This dude clearly wasn't living in the same America

[-]

decapitating_punch@reddit

exactly. and then below this comment is a ton of hicks being like “WELL IN MY HOME TOWN OF BFE THEY SAID IT” dude no one said it, only hicks

[-]

laziestmarxist@reddit

I live in a city that loves to brag about its military connections and I don't recall ever seeing real freedom fries on a menu anywhere except the golf course on base. Officials at my school pushed for it for like a week but nobody actually said that shit outloud so obviously it got dropped.

[-]

prstele01@reddit

I was in college in Louisiana during this.

While they WERE widespread, THANKFULLY most places realized it was stupid. Most places went back to French fries after a few weeks lol

[-]

Secure-Force-9387@reddit

Fuck...I feel old.

[-]

Bellemorte79@reddit

Most of those people had no clue that what we call French fires are actually not Frbch at all. I think they are Belgian. Maybe cusse some Belgians speak French. Pomme Frites are the real name technically but Merica.

[-]

twirlerina024@reddit

It's because "French" refers to the cutting technique, not really the country. "To French" a vegetable is to cut it into long, thin, strips. Basically the same as julienne.

[-]

Bellemorte79@reddit

Thanks for reminding me! I wonder if there is a freedom cut lol!

[-]

laziestmarxist@reddit

Are you fuckin telling me that technically waffle fries aren't really french fries

[-]

twirlerina024@reddit

They are not!

[-]

laziestmarxist@reddit

I've seen some menus for fancier steakhouses and such that use "pomme frites" instead of french fries but presumably that's not about the war in Iraq

[-]

Bellemorte79@reddit

That's just bougie butn6eshbhage seen that as well. Im from the central part of the US were you cant be using those "European" words. They just called em steak fries. Why indeed are the best version.

[-]

Sodamyte@reddit

In most of Europe they aren't even called fries, they are chips. What we call chips here are called crisps in Europe.

[-]

Bellemorte79@reddit

Exactly!!! I know enough Europeans that call em chips.

[-]

BritOnTheRocks@reddit

Julienne Potatoes, also known as a french cut.

[-]

Soggy_Porpoise@reddit

Just as pathetic now as it was then.

[-]

Background-Action-19@reddit

I remember this basically being a really bad meme that didn't last long. I think most people didn't take this seriously at all

[-]

DJmagikMIKE@reddit

Also, knew a dumbass country girl back then that INSISTED crème freche was “cream free”

[-]

Cherry_Hammer@reddit

During WWI, sauerkraut was called “liberty cabbage,” hamburgers were “liberty steaks” and frankfurters were “liberty sausage.”

[-]

ScreenTricky4257@reddit

But the important thing was that I had an onion on my belt, which was the style at the time.

[-]

Feral_Sheep_@reddit

Five bees for a quarter, you'd say.

[-]

MarkHirsbrunner@reddit

German Shepherd Dogs became Alsatians.

[-]

lachrymologyislegit@reddit

I read that dachshunds were "liberty hounds." And supposedly at least one was killed in the UK for "God and Country." I'm sure a dog is really aligned with world politics...

[-]

JHerbY2K@reddit

The UK has its fair share of stupids. About 15 years ago someone burned down a doctor’s house because buddy heard he was a PEDIAtrician.

[-]

Arcades_Samnoth@reddit

Dr. Liberty Sausage sounds even hotter in Rocky Horror Picture Show

[-]

AmericanHistoryXX@reddit

Some names didn't even get changed back. American Eskimo dogs were once called German Spitzes, and in the UK Empire Biscuits used to be called German Biscuits.

[-]

gooch_norris_@reddit

This makes me feel ancient old

[-]

c_b0t@reddit

I just sighed so deeply after reading it.

[-]

Colonial13@reddit

I remember thinking that had to be peak embarrassment as an American. To be young and naive

[-]

A-Helpful-Flamingo@reddit

I miss GWB being the most embarrassing president of my life time!

[-]

sunshineparadox_@reddit

Cheney shooting his friend quail hunting was the hardest I cringed during that era.

[-]

IAmNotMyName@reddit

His friend apologized

[-]

GameHat@reddit

No, that was hilarious

[-]

shmelse@reddit

Made for an amazing episode of the Daily Show

[-]

defender_1996@reddit

To paraphrase Homer Simpson “peak embarrassment so far…”.

[-]

Revolutionary-Wash88@reddit

You should have seen my face when I found out that France was right the entire time

[-]

Lonely-Notice1828@reddit

We were next to Saddam’s old blown up chemical weapons facility, one of our translators was ol dude’s top chemical weapons scientist (and an amazing chess player) and we finally found a few buried pieces of ordnance from the early 90s. It was underwhelming

[-]

gxslim@reddit

Some of us knew all along

[-]

Apprehensive_Hat8986@reddit

Was it anything like Iago in Aladdin?

"Oh THERE'S a big surprise! I think I might DIE from NOT surprise."

[-]

Traditional_Foot9641@reddit

It was. It was one of the beginning indications beginning of the ignorant populism you see today. I’m so tired of it.

[-]

twirlerina024@reddit

I was more embarrassed by the people buying French wine to pour out. A boycott would've been stupid, but at least makes sense.

[-]

RealSinnSage@reddit

lol right good thing idiots don’t pull that shit anymore /s

[-]

this_knee@reddit

Yeah… I recall people being offended that I still called it French toast during that period.

[-]

spaceporter@reddit

Why not use the English name, Poor Knights of Windsor? I remember being confused by that at the time.

[-]

BritOnTheRocks@reddit

gif

[-]

GreenApples8710@reddit

Yeah, same.

And now I'd sell my soul to have that be the ceiling.

[-]

RogerDodger457@reddit

There’s a fair near me that still sells Freedom Fries every year. I can’t believe it’s been over two decades.

[-]

HopeThisIsUnique@reddit

I was doing some work in middle of nowhere Minnesota at that time and the diner there was proudly advertising them, completely ridiculous.

[-]

asselfoley@reddit

Just one bit of the stupidity.

Just 2 years earlier, an unelected imbecilic president had shit ratings for good reason until the US got attacked on his watch then his popularity skyrocketed. His administration went on to open a torture camp, lie to the world in order to invade Iraq, and shredded the constitution

Fucking asinine times

[-]

cordelaine@reddit

We were so, so close to having a President Gore. Can you imagine that timeline?

[-]

Tacos_Rock@reddit

We elected Gore. The Supreme Court bagged it for Bush as his father had appointed several justices.

[-]

nonexistentnight@reddit

Don't forget the Brooks Brothers Riot, which was basically January 6th but successful.

[-]

Vanman04@reddit

Or that a lot of the characters involved in that are still moving around the upper echelons of the Republican party.

[-]

DarthBster@reddit

Also didn't hurt him that his brother was governor of FL where the recount issues were peak.

[-]

squarebodynewb@reddit

Was Jeb Gov at the time or after, i thought it was after... :: going to search...

[-]

TeutonJon78@reddit

"Strange" how many of the layers arguing for Bush on that case are now on the Supreme Court.

[-]

VaselineHabits@reddit

Well that seems oddly familiar

[-]

bgva@reddit

Can you imagine that timeline?

Yes, but I really try not to.

See also: 2017-21 and 2025-present

[-]

laziestmarxist@reddit

Theoretically if Gore wins the education system doesn't get gutted so future election outcomes would also be better.

Whether or not 9/11 still happens is an open question but one also has to assume that the Gore White House wouldn't have spearheaded the passage of the PATRIOT ACT in the form that we did get, so hopefully also the internet doesn't devolve so thoroughly

[-]

spaceporter@reddit

I don’t know how Gore would have reacted to 9/11. Somehow I suspect he’d have been swept up in the military hysteria and things, at least in Afghanistan (or some token country), play out similarly even if the familial embarrassment not existing avoids the second war in Iraq.

If reason prevailed and that didn’t occur, then maybe you have McCain winning the primary and the White House in 2004, which might have meant no Obama in 2008.

Regardless, a strong move toward environmentalism would have made the world a better place. It might have even been enough to show China and India that America is serious and that they should curb their emissions even if they weren’t to blame for most of the emissions to date.

[-]

luke1266@reddit

I worked at a restaurant around that time and people would regularly come in asking for freedom fries and get pissed when we only had Heinz ketchup. It was all performative because all those motherfuckers really wanted was a soup bowl full of ranch.

[-]

Big_Surround3395@reddit

Fucking shit dude. I distincly remember this shit.

[-]

jasonmoyer@reddit

Beano's still calls their French dressing All-American Sauce, which is hilarious.

[-]

dis690640450cc@reddit

This is what MAGA was up to before they had the name.

[-]

rinfected@reddit

You should've seen the backlash against French/Freedom Stewart. 🫤. /s

[-]

SailNW@reddit

“Can’t possibly get any more embarrassing than this! -me, 2003.

[-]

twirlerina024@reddit

I thought GWB would go down as our stupidest president ever.

[-]

Shinespark7@reddit

You can't get fooled again

[-]

AytumnRain@reddit

Knew a band called Freedumb Fries. Pretty sick ska/punk band.

[-]

Heisenberglund@reddit

This was the original “gulf of America” nobody ever referred to them as freedom fries seriously that I knew, same with the Gulf of Mexico.

[-]

Bob-Dolemite@reddit

yes, that happened and it was stupid

[-]

TheLakeWitch@reddit

Dang, I must’ve buried this memory deep into the recesses of my mind. I’d forgotten all about Freedom Fries.

[-]

Moosyfate17@reddit

I (Canadian) was in college at the time. We had a good laugh about that.

[-]

cheffartsonurfood@reddit

I thought it couldn't get any dumber than this. Gulf of America chimes in....

[-]

RetroMutant@reddit

Don't forget the Freedom Tickler condom.

[-]

deowolf@reddit

I worked with a a student teacher at the time named French. The kids called him Mr Freedom

[-]

averyfinefellow@reddit

As a Canadian, this was one of my first introductions to "Wow Americans are really stupid!"

[-]

MuricanPoxyCliff@reddit

That scene in Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail when Arthur and Pansy decide not to go to Camelot because it is a silly place? That was us.

[-]

psilosophist@reddit

Back then I thought that the US couldn’t possibly get any dumber than freedom fries, Missions Accomplished, and “they hate us for our freedoms.” I remember thinking it couldn’t get any worse than when GWB was elected a 2nd time.

Oh sweet summer child I was.

[-]

canisdirusarctos@reddit

The fact they are called “french fries” in the US is the result of the ignorance of US service members. They actually encountered them in Belgium.

[-]

ryguymcsly@reddit

I also remember the French government saying something like “they’re belgian and called pommes frites you stupid hicks.”

[-]

Traditional_Foot9641@reddit

I’m was alive at this time and it seemed as stupid as it sounds.

[-]

RealSinnSage@reddit

as a xennial, you should have been there for this

[-]

YogurtclosetDull2380@reddit

That was the beginning of neo-Christian nationalism. I hate it

[-]

Old-Tangelo-861@reddit

And the Ford Windstar became the Ford Freestar because 'Murca.

[-]

Deep-Grape-4649@reddit

Things got a little crazy post 9/11

[-]

Revolutionary-Wash88@reddit

Couldn't walk down the street with a headwrap

[-]

hbi2k@reddit

I was working at the public library right around the time the feds started getting nosy about who had been checking out the Quran. In a wild coincidence, that was exactly the same time we began our new policy of scrubbing all loan history records. Can't subpoena what we don't have, pigs.

[-]

OptimusWang@reddit

To the surprise of no one, several NASCAR tracks still list them as Freedom Fries on their concession menus.

[-]

SomethingClever2022@reddit

Oh bless your heart. It was the beginning of our nonsense. Welcome

[-]

ScreenTricky4257@reddit

Well, yeah, we weren't going to listen to those cheese-eating surrender monkeys.

[-]

Apprehensive_Hat8986@reddit

Few restaurants in Canada did that, but people were absolutely using it colloquially. Primarily dripping with sarcasm (while still ordering them from every American fast food chain available on this side of the border). But hey, it was like taking the piss of a sibling. After all, we went to Afghanistan. Nothing could really come between us and the yanks right?

^(right?)

Anakin intensifies

[-]

squarebodynewb@reddit

Fucking children.

[-]

avid-shtf@reddit

Gulf of America vibes

[-]

MossGobbo@reddit

It was the most bullshit thing to be angry.

[-]

be_loved_freak@reddit

I wouldn't order from any restaurant calling them that. Dear God, to think things would get even dumber from there.

[-]

Sodamyte@reddit

It was not "businesses across America" it was one cafeteria in the Capital building

[-]

bighaircutforbigtuna@reddit

I worked for Wells Fargo at this time and they changed the menu name is "Freedom Fries" in their corporate cafeteria. It was so embarrassing.

[-]

Ok_Researcher_9796@reddit

I always thought that was so freaking stupid.

[-]

CunnyMaggots@reddit

I thought it was like a meme. I didn't know it was real lol

[-]

ambercrayon@reddit

I know at least one place that still had them on the menu in the 2010's. Embarrassing.

[-]

SonoFactori@reddit

My husband and I had moved to a new state and were looking to check out the restaurant scene in our new neighborhood. Everybody we knew RAVED about one particular Mexican restaurant. We checked out the menu online, and one of the first items listed were Freedom Fries.

In 2014.

We never did go to the restaurant.

I just checked their website and it looks like, at long last, Freedom Fries are no longer on the menu. Man, what an embarrassing little virtue signal those were.

[-]