Patates frites are
like what Statesians call
french fries or UKsians call
chips - big
fried chunks of
potatoes. But so much more.
Nearly a perfect food, bought hot in a paper cone with mayonnaise from a street vendor. I first tried them in Amsterdam, on an early April day - the cone was overflowing, and i was skeptical of mayonnaise on fries. But this was no Hellman's (or other mass-produced) variety. This was the real deal, "homemade", thick, rich, a little tangy - the potatoes were soft and crispy and salted, peeking over the edge of the warm greasy crinkling wrapper. I was the happiest little sober americaine on that strasse.