# Poutine, or chili-cheese fries? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 17, 2010, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poutine-or-chili-cheese-fries/547039 "2010-07-17T16:25:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poutine-or-chili-cheese-fries/547039/21 "2010-07-17T21:25:20Z")
Tough call. I will go with chili cheese fries if the fries can be really crispy so you have a chance to eat them before they sog all the way up. ---
**Author:** ![Ibanez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a4c791/32.png) [@Ibanez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibanez)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poutine-or-chili-cheese-fries/547039/22 "2010-07-17T21:49:50Z")
I’ve never tried chili fries. I like my chili on a bed of rice and a hot roll and nothing else. If your tempted in trying a poutine just get some cheese curds, your favorite canned gravy, fries and voila poutine. If you can’t get cheese curds forget it though. Because the shredded cheese substitute is just disgusting imo. ---
**Author:** ![MTCicero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@MTCicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MTCicero)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poutine-or-chili-cheese-fries/547039/23 "2010-07-17T22:01:47Z")
Resoundingly: Poutine! ---
**Author:** ![acetylene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@acetylene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/acetylene)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poutine-or-chili-cheese-fries/547039/24 "2010-07-17T22:02:26Z")
I loves me some chili cheese fries but I had to vote for poutine. I live three miles from the Quebec border so I have had lots of proper poutine. With cheese curds, of course. Can any French Canadians help me with the pronunciation? We Americans pronounce it “poo-teen” but we know it’s wrong. I have heard French Canadians call it “poo-tin” and “poo-tan”. So which is it? ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poutine-or-chili-cheese-fries/547039/25 "2010-07-17T22:12:25Z")
> [@acetylene](#): > > Can any French Canadians help me with the pronunciation? We Americans pronounce it “poo-teen” but we know it’s wrong. I have heard French Canadians call it “poo-tin” and “poo-tan”. So which is it? See the thread linked to in the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Ibanez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a4c791/32.png) [@Ibanez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibanez)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poutine-or-chili-cheese-fries/547039/26 "2010-07-18T02:01:15Z")
> [@acetylene](#): > > I loves me some chili cheese fries but I had to vote for poutine. I live three miles from the Quebec border so I have had lots of proper poutine. With cheese curds, of course. > > Can any French Canadians help me with the pronunciation? We Americans pronounce it “poo-teen” but we know it’s wrong. I have heard French Canadians call it “poo-tin” and “poo-tan”. So which is it? Haha never say “poo tan” that’s pretty close to **putain** , which is Québec French for slut. Not that there’s anything wrong with asking for a slut. 😉 But poutine in french is pronounced “poo-tin” in Québec. Alot of Canadian anglophones pronouce it as “poo-teen”. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poutine-or-chili-cheese-fries/547039/27 "2010-07-18T02:09:32Z")
Not to be confused with [poitín](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poit%C3%ADn), of course. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poutine-or-chili-cheese-fries/547039/28 "2010-07-18T04:44:57Z")
Based on the poutine I have had, I am going with chili cheese fries. From Tommy’s or the hat. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poutine-or-chili-cheese-fries/547039/29 "2010-07-18T13:03:27Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > American who has never had poutine, but I still choose it. > > Chili as an ingredient never makes a food better. **It’s best by itself**. Have you never had chili dogs? Cincinnati chili? Coneys? You’re _mad_, man, absolutely mad! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poutine-or-chili-cheese-fries/547039/30 "2010-07-18T13:25:42Z")
I’m a poutine virgin, so I had to go with CC Fries. I’d pick a Frito pie over either of them. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poutine-or-chili-cheese-fries/547039/31 "2010-07-18T15:21:17Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Have you never had chili dogs? Cincinnati chili? Coneys? > > You’re _mad_, man, absolutely mad! > > 🙂 I’d say he’s an iconoclast, myself. Oh, and totally, completely, makes the Hatter look down-right stable mad, of course. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poutine-or-chili-cheese-fries/547039/32 "2010-07-18T15:28:20Z")
> [@](#): > > Have you never had chili dogs? Cincinnati chili? Coneys? > > You’re mad, man, absolutely mad! While Cincinnati chili is indeed wonderful, it’s also a completely different foodstuff than what anyone else calls chili. You can’t generalize from one to the other. ---
**Author:** ![dogbutler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogbutler/32/428_2.png) [@dogbutler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogbutler)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poutine-or-chili-cheese-fries/547039/33 "2010-07-18T15:29:50Z")
Chilli cheese fries, because chilli is better than gravy. My usual bar does offer poutine, though. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poutine-or-chili-cheese-fries/547039/34 "2010-07-18T15:56:45Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > While Cincinnati chili is indeed wonderful, it’s also a completely different foodstuff than what anyone else calls chili. You can’t generalize from one to the other. A better generalization would be use [Tommy’s](http://www.originaltommys.com/tommys_menu.php) or [Pink’s](http://www.pinkshollywood.com/pgz/greeting.htm) chili as a topping example. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poutine-or-chili-cheese-fries/547039/35 "2010-07-18T16:34:09Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Have you never had chili dogs? Cincinnati chili? Coneys? > > You’re _mad_, man, absolutely mad! > > 🙂 I prefer slaw dogs, with onion and mustard. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poutine-or-chili-cheese-fries/547039/36 "2010-07-18T16:47:40Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Poutine comes in a plethora of mixtures these days too. Take a look at the [menu](http://smokespoutinerie.com/main.html) at this place. As a purely hypothetical question, how long do you think it would take to go through the entire menu? I think we’re talking ‘sublet someone’s apartment’ kinda time instead of ‘hotel or crash on someone’s couch’… ETA - On further examination, they have them in Toronto, and there’s one opening soon in my neighbourhood. I just assumed the “Queen Street” referred to was in Ottawa… I think I need to double or triple up on my cholesterol meds for the next little while. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poutine-or-chili-cheese-fries/547039/37 "2010-07-18T16:49:20Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > I prefer slaw dogs, with onion and mustard. Well, those are good too! ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poutine-or-chili-cheese-fries/547039/38 "2010-07-18T16:50:44Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > While Cincinnati chili is indeed wonderful, it’s also a completely different foodstuff than what anyone else calls chili. **You can’t generalize from one to the other.** Yes you can! Just because it’s watery and flavored with cinnamon and chocolate doesn’t make it not chili! Well, maybe it does after all. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poutine-or-chili-cheese-fries/547039/39 "2010-07-18T20:31:40Z")
Poutine is Quebec’s revenge for the English victory at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. Chili cheese fries. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poutine-or-chili-cheese-fries/547039/40 "2010-07-18T21:48:38Z")
Poutine!! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poutine-or-chili-cheese-fries/547039.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poutine-or-chili-cheese-fries/547039.md?page=3)