Are fries uniting Belgians?

"Avoir la frite" is a French expression meaning "being happy" but literally "getting the fry"! It could be a nice way to sum up Belgian philosophy. Although the dish is known for making people fat, Belgians are in general proud to consider it a national dish and it is probably one of the binding forces of the country (seriously!)...

Last year, all linguistic communities agreed to request making Belgian fries a UNESCO World Heritage and a "Week of the Fries" was specially organised for the occasion. It would give such a simple meal more prestige, as genuine gourmets and chefs also love it in more sophisticated dishes. One theory states that fries were invented by a fisherman in Namur who, after an unfruitful fishing day, decided to fry pieces of potatoes instead of fish. A brilliant idea!

Are fries a binding force for the country? Probably and Belgium needs it... The new Government, more right-wing and represented by only a minority of Francophones and by more Flemish nationalists, has been criticised a lot these days. Almost every week, strikes have paralysed the whole country, resulting in controversies on the way trade unionists prevented people from going to work, which divided Belgium even more.

On December 22 during a talk to explain his new policies, Charles Michel (MR liberal), the current Prime Minister (succeeding socialist Elio di Rupo), received Belgian fries and mayonnaise all over his face and suit. Four women, left-wing protestors who had registered for the talk as students of the local university, organised this sort of burlesque bashing to tell the PM to resign and "get rid of austerity".

Although obviously unhappy about this event, Charles Michel decided to take it with humour and sent a (pretty artistic) signed picture of himself during the event to the Fries Museum in Brussels (because, yes, there is a Fries Museum!). Although it won't stop the political problems in Belgium, this is the typical example of how Belgians try to make people "get the fry" through self-mockery and... fries of course!