Hill fries free to be French again

The term “freedom fries” actually originated at Cubbies, a restaurant in Beaufort, N.C., which caters to U.S. troops stationed at three nearby military bases. Mr. Jones, whose district includes the bases and the restaurant, circulated a letter to his colleagues seeking to call the spuds “freedom fries” because, he said, the French were “sitting on the sidelines.”

A spokeswoman for the French Embassy noted that her country has been working “very closely” with the United States on the Middle East and that Presidents Bush and Jacques Chirac dined on french fries in February 2005.

“Our relations are definitely much more important than potatoes,” Agnes Vondermuhll said. “French fries are back in the Capitol, back on the presidential dinner menu and our relations are back on track.”