Raleigh would be happy

Within the limits of our Irish secondary school pathetic French class, this Le Monde article seems to be discussing a dispute between the French and Belgians about the invention of the chip/French Fry. And our French can definitely handle the discussion of who likes what with their fries:

En Angleterre, elle s'associe avec les poissons frits pour les fameux fish and chips. Si les Néerlandais aiment la manger avec de la mayonnaise, les Québécois la préfèrent avec du cheddar frais. Les Italiens apprécient leur patatine frite avec un rien de sel et les Mexicains leurs papas a la francesa avec du citron et du piment. Baptisée ranskikset en Finlande, où on l'aime avec du ketchup, elle devient kentang goreng en Malaisie.

Strangely enough, no mention of what les irlandais like with their chips, but recent research by us in Westport leads us to the conclusion that the preferred accompaniments would be boiled potatoes and mashed potatoes, with maybe a side of crisps and baked potatoes as well. OK so we are exaggerating based on a couple of sightings but those sightings did leave an impression -- at a somewhat pretentious hotel restaurant, the two men at a table of four next to us ordered steaks burnt to a cinder, and proceeded to down said cinder with boiled and mashed potatoes and chips. Which reminded us of the classic Simpsons scene:

Homer Simpson: Are you saying you're never going to eat any animal again? What about bacon?
Lisa: No.
Homer: Ham?
Lisa: No!
Homer: Pork chops?
Lisa: Dad, those all come from the same animal!
Homer [with sarcasm]: Heh heh heh ... ooh ... yeah ... right, Lisa. A wonderful ... magical animal.

But at least Homer's three part diet of ham, pork, and bacon has some Atkins virtues to it. In Ireland, however, with its wonderful magical tuber, Atkins has a lot of work to do.