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I first heard of poutine from some Canadian friends who were describing a piece on a comedy "news" show up there. Their "man in the street" reporter was interviewing tourists from the US, asking their opinion of their PM Poutine. The joke of it was how few tourists were unwilling to admit that they had never heard of Mr. Poutine.

I think it was on the same show that they got tourists to say that many Canadians live in igloos and that they have a king.

I still prefer tartar sauce on my fries.

Sometimes they have sweet potato fries at the cafeteria at work. I assume they still have the same amount of fat as regular fries, but damn are they good. (I wouldn't put tartar sauce on those.)

Sorry but nothing goes better on potato product than gravy so I'll go with fries drowned in mushroom gravy (a la dear departed Theo's in Worcester) if I have a choice. Although I'll pretty much take fries any way you want to give them to me.

Haven't tried poutine but I find it hard to believe that combining gravy, cheese and fried potatoes would be bad. Heart stopping yes.

I'm with B.O.B. on the gravy. I'm not a fan of vinegar on fries and I don't like salt and vinegar chips, either.

Didn't someone pull the "Jean Poutine" thing on Bush?

Vinegar, gravy, salt, mayo... it's all good.

You're right, Brian. It turns out there's a story about it on Snopes. I got some of the details a bit wrong, but in my defense, I heard about this years ago, shortly after Bush was "elected."

Julie! I also love tarter sauce on my fries! YAY!

James, don't be hatin' on the poutine. If you ever find yourself in Cambridge, you can get them at the All-Star Sandwich Bar:

Poutine (Gravy and Cheese Curds, Canadian Style)

http://www.allstarsandwichbar.com/NewMenu.pdf

It wasn't so much the gravy as the cheese curd. But it's not the combination that bothers me as much as... well, cheese curd. I'm already not a huge fan of cheese (I like some cheese, but I'm picky) but curd ain't my thing.

Patti, if you remember those old Peanut Butter Cup ads with "you got peanut butter on my chocolate" "you got chocolate in my peanut butter," that's pretty much how I found out about tartar sauce and fries. There was a spill, and the rest is history.

James: It wasn't so much the gravy as the cheese curd.

I'm with you there. I love the idea of poutine but I wasn't impressed with the chunks of cheese on the poutine I tried a few times in Quebec.

If they melted the cheese and poured it along with the gravy I'd probably like it more.

I know I like regular cheese on fries, but I have my doubts about cheese curd. And most gravy is milder than I want to put on fries. (Sounds like it'd make them soggy without improving the flavor much.)

In fact, most of the things that people put on fries (other than the usual salt, sauce, or vinegar), I'd just as soon have without the fries.

OTOH, there is something called "fries from hell" that I might like. I'll try just about anything that has "from hell" in the name as long as it's not something gross like liver.

I don't know nothing about the restaurant business. All I know is to sit down and order the menu. I don't know how to make a restaurant.

I'm with Mike on this one. Is the topping somehow edible? Bring it on! I actually prefer ketchup, but cheese fries are good too (when the lactose intollerance thing doesn't get in my way too badly). Vinegar is a distant third. Gravy is actually a dead last, though nothing would prevent me from eating good fries. Some sort of syrupy topping might give me pause ... just pause, mind you.

Maybe I've been up here too long, but I've come to like Poutine. You can get it at all the fast food restaurants, too. Mc'D's Wendys and KFC. KFC makes a really good one. There are even some little restaurants that specialize in poutine. The one nearest me is called Fritz, run by a Belgian, and on fridays and saturday nights it's standing room only! After the clubs let out, the place is packed with drunk club goers looking for some carbo fix! You haven't had the Vancouver nightlife until you have also heard the iconic "One Jumbo Poutine!" call at Fritz!

A jumbo poutine! Oh my head!

I just can't get past the curd. Oh the curd!

It was just brought to my attention that you don't really seem to like cheese, James, and I'm wondering if you had a traumatic cheese experience as a child.

That's the only explanation I could imagine to justify you're not liking cheese.

I like cheddar. Sharp cheddar. Mozzarella. Parmesan cheeses. Monterrey Jack. Monterrey Jack with peppers. And I've had a few expensive hard cheeses that I enjoyed.

I don't like creamy cheeses. I have only in the last 5 years learned to like yogurt. I have a slight aversion to creamy-sour-savory foods. I make an exception for clam chowder.

That anyone would go out of their way to eat ricotta cheese baffles me. And brie ... keep it away. I love the description on Wikipedia -- a slight whiff of ammonia. I try to stay away from ammonia in my gustatory travels.

I had thought that the 'French' cut you refer to was also known as Julienne. Which is to cut in thin strips. Or maybe French is a larger Julienne?

We are lucky up here when it comes to fries, we have a few Belgian fry houses that do nothing but fresh fries, mayo based dipping sauces (curry, italian, bbq...) and smokies (a canadian smoked hot dog). Damn, now I'm hungry, and I just ate!