thedrifter
03-12-03, 09:54 AM
An Order of Fries, Please, but Do Hold the French
By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
Washington, March 11: The French may have Champagne, Brie, croissants and even kisses. Americans, at least in the cafeterias of the House of Representatives, now have freedom fries and freedom toast.
With frustration rising in the Capitol over French opposition to President Bush's policy on Iraq, Representative Bob Ney, the Ohio Republican who is chairman of the House Administration Committee, which is responsible for House operations, ordered the word "French" stricken from all House menus. The action was unilateral. No vote was required.
"It's a symbolic gesture," said Mr. Ney, who is of French descent and speaks French fluently. "Not to slap the French around, but people are not hot on the French government right now. This is just to send a message to the troops to say that here in the Capitol, we are not happy."
But one man's symbolism can be another man's silliness. In a city where the prospect of war looms like a foreboding cloud, where lawmakers keep "go bags" packed in their offices in case of biological or chemical attack and where Democrats and Republicans find little to agree on in any event some in the minority party were quick to condemn Mr. Ney's action as, well, small potatoes.
"Making Congress look even sillier than it sometimes looks would not be high on my priority list," said Representative Barney Frank, Democrat of Massachusetts.
"There's a potential war going on. There's a lot of debate about is Congress being actively involved in foreign policy. It's bad enough not to be able to do anything, but I think self-caricature is a poor substitute for thoughtful discussion."
Of Russia, China and France, the three nations threatening to veto a United Nations resolution urging war with Iraq, France has been the most unequivocal in its opposition, which is why the French have aroused the ire of House Republicans.
"They have isolated themselves pretty well," said Representative Tom DeLay, Republican of Texas and the majority leader.
But as the great French fry debate raged in the House, Senator Robert C. Byrd, the West Virginia Democrat who has long bemoaned his colleagues' lack of serious debate on the war, took to the Senate floor. Through a spokesman, Mr. Byrd declined to comment on the French fry/freedom fry uproar. But his speech made clear he did not view a fight with the French, over fries or otherwise, as sound foreign policy.
"The day after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on America, the French newspaper Le Monde proclaimed, `We are all Americans!' " he said. "Eighteen months later, the United States and France are hurling insults at each other, and the French are leading the opposition to the war against Iraq. In country after country, the United States has seen the outpouring of compassion and support that followed Sept. 11 dissolve into anger and resentment at this administration's heavy-handed attempts to railroad the world into supporting a questionable war with Iraq."
By the time Mr. Byrd delivered his speech, the lunchtime offerings on the House side of the Capitol complex had already been changed. A sign in the food court in the House Longworth Office Building which, for the record, also serves tacos, vegetable lasagna, Greek salad and Chinese lo mein announced: "Update: Now serving in all House office buildings. Freedom fries."
A highly unscientific survey of cafeteria patrons found opinion to be either neutral, or anti-French. "There ain't a whole lot of need for the French," said Roger Todd, an official with the Albany, Ga., chapter of the Communications Workers of America, who was in town on a lobbying trip. "I would just as soon call them freedom fries, even though I'm a Democrat."
Noting that French fries originated in Belgium, a French Embassy spokeswoman did not seem amused. "I wonder if it's worth a comment," the spokeswoman, Nathalie Loiseau, said. "Honestly. We are working these days on very, very serious issues of war and peace, life or death. We are not working on potatoes."
There is, apparently, some historical precedent for the switch, which was proposed by Representative Walter B. Jones, Republican of North Carolina. Mr. Jones, whose district includes three military bases, was inspired by Cubbie's, a restaurant in Beaufort, N.C. Neal Rowland, the owner of Cubbie's, said he began serving freedom fries after a local history teacher reminded him that during World War I, anti-German sentiment prompted Americans to begin calling sauerkraut liberty cabbage and frankfurters hot dogs.
"We bought little stickers, stuck it over French and put a couple of posters in the window," Mr. Rowland said. "Next thing you know, we were receiving phone calls from London, Ireland, Australia and all over the continental United States."
By this afternoon, some calls were being directed to Mr. Jones, who said he did not eat fries, no matter what they were called. (At 60, he is watching his cholesterol.) He did a string of interviews, two with British television. "I thanked Tony Blair on both," he said of the British prime minister, a firm ally of Mr. Bush.
While Mr. Jones said he viewed the name change as a "lighthearted gesture," some in Congress wondered what would come next.
"If China vetoes it," Mr. Frank said of the United Nations resolution, "what are we going to call Chinese checkers?"
Sempers,
Roger
United We Stand
God Bless America
Remember our POW/MIA's
I'll never forget!
By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
Washington, March 11: The French may have Champagne, Brie, croissants and even kisses. Americans, at least in the cafeterias of the House of Representatives, now have freedom fries and freedom toast.
With frustration rising in the Capitol over French opposition to President Bush's policy on Iraq, Representative Bob Ney, the Ohio Republican who is chairman of the House Administration Committee, which is responsible for House operations, ordered the word "French" stricken from all House menus. The action was unilateral. No vote was required.
"It's a symbolic gesture," said Mr. Ney, who is of French descent and speaks French fluently. "Not to slap the French around, but people are not hot on the French government right now. This is just to send a message to the troops to say that here in the Capitol, we are not happy."
But one man's symbolism can be another man's silliness. In a city where the prospect of war looms like a foreboding cloud, where lawmakers keep "go bags" packed in their offices in case of biological or chemical attack and where Democrats and Republicans find little to agree on in any event some in the minority party were quick to condemn Mr. Ney's action as, well, small potatoes.
"Making Congress look even sillier than it sometimes looks would not be high on my priority list," said Representative Barney Frank, Democrat of Massachusetts.
"There's a potential war going on. There's a lot of debate about is Congress being actively involved in foreign policy. It's bad enough not to be able to do anything, but I think self-caricature is a poor substitute for thoughtful discussion."
Of Russia, China and France, the three nations threatening to veto a United Nations resolution urging war with Iraq, France has been the most unequivocal in its opposition, which is why the French have aroused the ire of House Republicans.
"They have isolated themselves pretty well," said Representative Tom DeLay, Republican of Texas and the majority leader.
But as the great French fry debate raged in the House, Senator Robert C. Byrd, the West Virginia Democrat who has long bemoaned his colleagues' lack of serious debate on the war, took to the Senate floor. Through a spokesman, Mr. Byrd declined to comment on the French fry/freedom fry uproar. But his speech made clear he did not view a fight with the French, over fries or otherwise, as sound foreign policy.
"The day after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on America, the French newspaper Le Monde proclaimed, `We are all Americans!' " he said. "Eighteen months later, the United States and France are hurling insults at each other, and the French are leading the opposition to the war against Iraq. In country after country, the United States has seen the outpouring of compassion and support that followed Sept. 11 dissolve into anger and resentment at this administration's heavy-handed attempts to railroad the world into supporting a questionable war with Iraq."
By the time Mr. Byrd delivered his speech, the lunchtime offerings on the House side of the Capitol complex had already been changed. A sign in the food court in the House Longworth Office Building which, for the record, also serves tacos, vegetable lasagna, Greek salad and Chinese lo mein announced: "Update: Now serving in all House office buildings. Freedom fries."
A highly unscientific survey of cafeteria patrons found opinion to be either neutral, or anti-French. "There ain't a whole lot of need for the French," said Roger Todd, an official with the Albany, Ga., chapter of the Communications Workers of America, who was in town on a lobbying trip. "I would just as soon call them freedom fries, even though I'm a Democrat."
Noting that French fries originated in Belgium, a French Embassy spokeswoman did not seem amused. "I wonder if it's worth a comment," the spokeswoman, Nathalie Loiseau, said. "Honestly. We are working these days on very, very serious issues of war and peace, life or death. We are not working on potatoes."
There is, apparently, some historical precedent for the switch, which was proposed by Representative Walter B. Jones, Republican of North Carolina. Mr. Jones, whose district includes three military bases, was inspired by Cubbie's, a restaurant in Beaufort, N.C. Neal Rowland, the owner of Cubbie's, said he began serving freedom fries after a local history teacher reminded him that during World War I, anti-German sentiment prompted Americans to begin calling sauerkraut liberty cabbage and frankfurters hot dogs.
"We bought little stickers, stuck it over French and put a couple of posters in the window," Mr. Rowland said. "Next thing you know, we were receiving phone calls from London, Ireland, Australia and all over the continental United States."
By this afternoon, some calls were being directed to Mr. Jones, who said he did not eat fries, no matter what they were called. (At 60, he is watching his cholesterol.) He did a string of interviews, two with British television. "I thanked Tony Blair on both," he said of the British prime minister, a firm ally of Mr. Bush.
While Mr. Jones said he viewed the name change as a "lighthearted gesture," some in Congress wondered what would come next.
"If China vetoes it," Mr. Frank said of the United Nations resolution, "what are we going to call Chinese checkers?"
Sempers,
Roger
United We Stand
God Bless America
Remember our POW/MIA's
I'll never forget!