Canadian vocabulary question

[Brad Little]

When I was at Acadia University in the 60s, what we Yanks called french fries were universally known as chips, like in the rest of the English speaking world. This was before the obnoxious golden arches made it into the maritimes. My question, was this a regional usage, or were they chips throughout most of Canada at the time and now that Mickey D has steamrolled across the land, are they still chips any where there?
Brad
PS It was also pre-ketchup, most of the places, vinegar was preferred.

 

[taabru45]

Fish 'n chips, always good.....Potatoe chips come in a bag....and a side of fries please......thanks eh! Steffan

 

[Sunn Man]

Hi there,here in Nova Scotia we call them Fries,(could be spelled Frys) unless they're ordered with fish,then they become "Fish and Chips", or an order of Clams and chips,crazy I know,but that's the Maritimes.You'd order a Burger and fries,an order of fries,but not Fish and fries,it would be "Fish and Chips".As far as the "Eh" thing goes,that's pretty much an Ontario/out west kind of thing,not an Atlantic/Maritime saying,Mel.

 

[adorshki]

It seems "Fries" absolutely means "batons", ie, long and relatively narrow, wheras chips is used to denot slices, although the original British style was thick or even irregular slices or wedges, thus, "chips".
And yes fish'n'chips houses out here appear universally to still use term, and I'd be horrified if I ordered chips and got fries. I'd send 'em back. And I'd make sure the vinegar bottles were full too.

 

[taabru45]

I remember being in a restaurant in the stated a long time ago, ordering fries, and asking for vinegar ...the waitress said, I think they have some in the kitchen, brought us some and kind of hung around to see what we were going to do with it.....we almost always have it right there on the table and use it a lot too....do you put vinegar on your fries, south of the 49th.....Steffan

 

[Brad Little]

.do you put vinegar on your fries, south of the 49th.....Steffan

Generally, no, although around here, it's not an unusual request, at least in the local diners and seafood restaurants.
I remember my mildly ID brother-in-law (from Iowa) being perplexed at a diner in New Brunswick when the waitress asked him if he wanted vinegar for his chips.
Brad

 

[kitniyatran]

Thrasher's French Fries on the boardwalk in Ocean City,Md. offers vinegar as the condiment for fries, unless they've changed the menu in the last 20 years or so.

 

[dreadnut]

Where they were invented, they're "pommes frites."

 

[adorshki]

Where they were invented, they're "pommes frites."

Y'know, when I first read Brad's question, I thought they were "invented" in France too..but I got curious and looked 'em up in Wikipedia, trying to determine which came first, "chips" or "fries", and lo and behold Wikipedia has 'em being made in Belgium before the French got ahold of the idea, probably because at the time it was the Spanish Netherlands and the potatoe, coming to the new world, landed in Spain before anywhere else in Europe...in fact the whole concept of frying 'em at all (most likely, sauteeing as opposed to total immersion) may well have started there, being a common mediterranean cooking technique.
Kind of fascinating. So fascinating I got the munchies and had to go buy a bag of potato chips. :lol:

 

[kevin the bass man]

canadians eat vinegar on their frys?
next you'll be telling me they put gravy and cheese on fries too :wink:

 

[taabru45]

You're right :lol: :lol: :lol: I like the malt vinegar...put it on when the fries are hot , then after a couple of minutes and the aroma kind of goes away, it is very nice, and not so greasy, seems easier to digest.....try it some time...and in Canada if you ask for a serviette, they will give you a napkin, in the states, they mostly jut look at you. :lol: Steffan

 

[Zelja]

Where they were invented, they're "pommes frites."

Y'know, when I first read Brad's question, I thought they were "invented" in France too..but I got curious and looked 'em up in Wikipedia, trying to determine which came first, "chips" or "fries", and lo and behold Wikipedia has 'em being made in Belgium before the French got ahold of the idea, probably because at the time it was the Spanish Netherlands and the potatoe, coming to the new world, landed in Spain before anywhere else in Europe...in fact the whole concept of frying 'em at all (most likely, sauteeing as opposed to total immersion) may well have started there, being a common mediterranean cooking technique.
Kind of fascinating. So fascinating I got the munchies and had to go buy a bag of potato chips. :lol:

Well, the southern half of Belgium (Wallonia) is French speaking so maybe they were still "pommes frites" when first invented unless they were invented in the north (Flanders).

Chips & vinegar. It's been so long! Great thing on a cold afternoon, coming home from school, a hot bag of chips doused in vinegar, making a hole in the newspaper wrapping & the steam clearing out your sinuses. I'm so sad for for my long lost youth. Simple things made me happy then! :lol:

 

[taabru45]

Simple things made me happy then! :lol:[/quote]

They'd probably make you happy now too...remember toys without batteries.....sometimes you needed to wind them up to make them work..... :wink: Steffan

 

[fronobulax]

Five Guys, a growing regional burger joint is known for the french fries - they will post where today's potatoes came - and they have malt vinegar on the counter right next to the ketchup or catsup. Can't say I ever saw anyone use it, however.

 

[jazzmang]

Five Guys, a growing regional burger joint is known for the french fries - they will post where today's potatoes came - and they have malt vinegar on the counter right next to the ketchup or catsup. Can't say I ever saw anyone use it, however.

It does smell pretty strongly around the counter as well!

 

[davismanLV]

From a food service perspective, a HUGE majority of people these days ask for ranch..... it's the new white ketchup..... :roll:

 

[twocorgis]

Five Guys, a growing regional burger joint is known for the french fries - they will post where today's potatoes came - and they have malt vinegar on the counter right next to the ketchup or catsup. Can't say I ever saw anyone use it, however.

Frono, pardon the veer, but if you eat at Five Guys enough, it'll probably kill you. :shock:

 

[killdeer43]

The new rage, around here anyway, is sweet potato fries!
They remind me of another time and place, when Mom used to fry long slabs of sweet potato as a treat for the hungry household.
Yum!

Joe

 

[taabru45]

Sweet potato fries and ranch....mmmmm

 

[Ross]

Where they were invented, they're "pommes frites."

During my formative years in Quebec, raw potatoes were known as “pommes de terre” (as in Europe), but French fries were “patates frites”, and were always eaten with salt & vinegar (this was long before the invention of poutine). The name was later shortened to ”frites”, parallelling the change to "fries" in English (Anglo-Quebeckers often pronounce it as “fritz”).

Everywhere I’ve been in Canada, “chips” means thin slices of potato (“crisps” in the UK), except when associated with fish. The same word is used in English and French (eg “un sac de chips”).

I’ve lived in Ontario 25+ years, and ketchup is the norm here. Ketchup is always on the table in diners, but you have to ask for vinegar. Mayonnaise appears to be the latest trend.

Interestingly, my first experience of fries with gravy was in Saskatchewan, circa 1970.