# Restaurant drops "poutine" from its menu **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** ukraine-invasion\ **Created:** [March 6, 2022, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-drops-poutine-from-its-menu/960548 "2022-03-06T03:17:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2022, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-drops-poutine-from-its-menu/960548/1 "2022-03-06T03:17:07Z")
I should explain that “Putin” is rendered in French as “Poutine”, that being the spelling whose pronunciation is closest to the Russian. Also, “Putin” would be pronounced in French exactly the same way as “putain”, whore. Hmm. Anyway a restaurant in Drummondville, QC which claims to have been the first to create poutine (doubtful) has dropped the word from its menu, replacing by something like curds, fries, gravy. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2022, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-drops-poutine-from-its-menu/960548/2 "2022-03-06T03:20:41Z")
As if French or English spelling and pronunciation has any regular correspondence… It’s a ridiculous and pointless gesture, but it sure got them in the news, so PT Barnum is vindicated, if he even said it at all. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2022, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-drops-poutine-from-its-menu/960548/3 "2022-03-06T03:41:12Z")
Just relabel them as “freedom fries with gravy and cheese curds.” And the equivalent in French of course. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2022, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-drops-poutine-from-its-menu/960548/4 "2022-03-06T03:45:53Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > And the equivalent in French of course. Pretty sure that would be “poutine.” Oh wait… ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2022, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-drops-poutine-from-its-menu/960548/5 "2022-03-06T04:11:48Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Just relabel them as “freedom fries with gravy and cheese curds.” And the equivalent in French of course. Frites liberté avec sauce et fromage en grains. It just rolls off the tongue. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2022, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-drops-poutine-from-its-menu/960548/6 "2022-03-06T04:22:16Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > It just rolls off the tongue. Then you’re not using enough gravy! ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2022, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-drops-poutine-from-its-menu/960548/7 "2022-03-06T04:43:54Z")
The central library in Hannibal Missouri has pulled all copies of their favorite-son’s novel Putinhead Wilson. ---
**Author:** ![PokestarFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/22d042/32.png) [@PokestarFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PokestarFan)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2022, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-drops-poutine-from-its-menu/960548/8 "2022-03-06T04:46:37Z")
Isn’t poutine of Canadian origin or am I wrong? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2022, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-drops-poutine-from-its-menu/960548/9 "2022-03-06T04:47:33Z")
> [@PokestarFan](#): > > Isn’t poutine of Canadian origin It is; it originated in Quebec in the 1950s. The restaurant which @Hari_Seldon mentioned in the OP is, in fact, in Quebec. ---
**Author:** ![PokestarFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/22d042/32.png) [@PokestarFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PokestarFan)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2022, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-drops-poutine-from-its-menu/960548/10 "2022-03-06T04:49:43Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > It is; it originated in Quebec in the 1950s. The restaurant which @Hari_Seldon mentioned in the OP is, in fact, in Quebec. Oh yeah you’re right, I totally missed that, my bad. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2022, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-drops-poutine-from-its-menu/960548/11 "2022-03-06T04:51:24Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > I should explain that “Putin” is rendered in French as “Poutine”, that being the spelling whose pronunciation is closest to the Russian. Also, “Putin” would be pronounced in French exactly the same way as “putain”, whore. Hmm. Anyway a restaurant in Drummondville, QC which claims to have been the first to create poutine (doubtful) has dropped the word from its menu, replacing by something like curds, fries, gravy. They will be calling Russian Dressing something like Freedom Dressing soon, no doubt. This is even sillier than the Freedom Fries horseshit. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2022, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-drops-poutine-from-its-menu/960548/12 "2022-03-06T04:54:06Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > The central library in Hannibal Missouri has pulled all copies of their favorite-son’s novel Putinhead Wilson. And banned the playing of the popular song “Putin on the Ritz”. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2022, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-drops-poutine-from-its-menu/960548/13 "2022-03-06T06:56:13Z")
On a similar note, the Russian Tea Room in Manhattan is apparently struggling to do business despite the fact that it is not nor has it ever been owned by anyone based out of Russia. > **[The Russian Tea Room in New York City suffers as Ukraine invasion escalates |...](https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/05/business/russian-tea-room-ukraine-invasion/index.html)** > > The Russian Tea Room is a 100-year-old New York City icon that has long drawn in locals and tourists alike. In its heyday, the restaurant hosted such luminaries as choreographer George Balanchine, artist Salvador Dali and composer Leonard Bernstein,... ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2022, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-drops-poutine-from-its-menu/960548/14 "2022-03-06T08:21:27Z")
I thought it was “merde”. ---
**Author:** ![Wrenching\_Spanners](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecb155/32.png) [@Wrenching\_Spanners](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wrenching_Spanners)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2022, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-drops-poutine-from-its-menu/960548/15 "2022-03-06T13:15:11Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > On a similar note, the Russian Tea Room in Manhattan is apparently struggling to do business despite the fact that it is not nor has it ever been owned by anyone based out of Russia. Russian restaurants are having similar issues in London. They hadn’t been doing very well during the pandemic, and the fact that working-from-home has severely curtailed business meetings over meals. Now people are boycotting the restaurants because they’re Russian. The restaurants are stating that they’re anti-war and making humanitarian donations to Ukraine, plus pointing out that they have Ukrainian employees. But I doubt it will be enough to see them through. > **[Londoner’s Diary: Russian restaurants serve up plea for peace](https://www.standard.co.uk/news/londoners-diary/londoner-russian-restaurants-ukraine-peace-plea-b986051.html)** > > LONDON’S top Russian restaurants have hit out at the war in Ukraine and promised to donate takings to appeals. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2022, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-drops-poutine-from-its-menu/960548/16 "2022-03-06T13:18:42Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > > [@Spoons](#): > > > > Just relabel them as “freedom fries with gravy and cheese curds.” And the equivalent in French of course. > > Frites liberté avec sauce et fromage en grains. > > It just rolls off the tongue. Pommefrittes Quebec. ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2022, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-drops-poutine-from-its-menu/960548/17 "2022-03-06T15:07:13Z")
For those who have never had poutine, it is a perversely, obscenely, severely, guilty pleasure; but not something one should eat regularly or frequently. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2022, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-drops-poutine-from-its-menu/960548/18 "2022-03-06T15:09:26Z")
Yes, it’s best described as an attempt to cram as many heart-clogging foods into one food-substance as is physically possible. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2022, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-drops-poutine-from-its-menu/960548/19 "2022-03-06T15:25:31Z")
> [@velomont](#): > > For those who have never had poutine, it is a perversely, obscenely, severely, guilty pleasure; but not something one should eat regularly or frequently. It’s one of those foods that tastes great for about the first three bites before your brain kicks in and says “hey, why are you doing this to yourself?” ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2022, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-drops-poutine-from-its-menu/960548/20 "2022-03-06T15:29:18Z")
I’ve never actually understood the appeal. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-drops-poutine-from-its-menu/960548.md?page=2)