I was born and raised in New York City, so salt and ketchup are the only things I’d ever put on fries.
But starting when I was 10, we spent several summers in Ireland, where vinegar was the condiment of choice for chips. It SOUNDED repulsive, but once I got used to it, I loved it
However, once I was back in the USA, I stopped using it, and within a few years, it seemed like a repulsive idea again.
Those who say you’d use white vinegar but not malt, or the other way round - am I missing something? The white vinegar I buy is just distilled malt vinegar. It’s not really that different. So what’s the big deal? Is your white vinegar different? What’s it made of?
Delicious, on potato wedges.
For me, it’s flavor and smell. White vinegar is blah in flavor, it’s just sourness/acidity and nothing else. Malt has a bit of real flavor to it, and the smell is better.
Why are you all saying “white” vinegar. It’s clear fer cryin’ out loud.
Is water white?
And white wine is yellow, pedant. 
It says white vinegar right on the label. See?
You know, that’s hilarious. I have never noticed the word white on any vinegar label in my life. I’m beginning to wonder if it’s even on the label here in Canada.
I know that I have never heard the term before. “White” vinegar is just vinegar. All the others, balsamic, malt, etc. have adjectives.
Weird. I’m going home to read my vinegar label now. 
Malt vinegar on salty crispy fries is fantastic. I wonder if your dad knows there’s vinegar in ketchup?
It’s possible they just call it distilled or spirit there - I went to check the Wiki article and the entry for what I’d call “white vinegar” is “distilled.” I’m pretty sure most American cookbooks list it as white.
Am I the only one who’s used balsamic vinegar on fries?
But I don’t think my all time favorite french fry dip has been mentioned yet: tartar sauce.
And if that’s the case, let me add - learning experience on my end too! I’d never thought of it as anything but “white vinegar” or maybe “distilled white vinegar,” “distilled, unfiltered white vinegar,” etc.
I have not, but now I want to have fries for dinner, and dip them in all the things mentioned in this thread.
It is. I’ve never seen it labelled as anything other than “white vinegar” in Canada.
I never thought of that. It’s right beside the malt and white vinegar, too - next time I have fries, I’ll try it. After this thread, that could be very soon.
In the interest of full disclosure, I put ketchup AND vinegar on my fries.
Have you heard it referred to as white vinegar? Maybe I’m just stoopid. :smack:
Fish & chips with malt vinegar and a little salt (the chip shops tend to overdo the salt), yes!
We have a gallon of store brand stuff labeled “White Distilled Vinegar” waiting to be carried down to the basement at the moment. We clean with it but do not cook with it. It is essentially dilute acetic acid.
Malt vinegar on normal, crinkle cut or steak cut chips. No vinegar on skinny french fries, just ketchup (maybe some mustard as well) to dip 'em in.
Any vinegar but malt near a chip makes the baby Jesus cry.
Maybe it’s different where Leaf fans come from, but here in BC white vinegar is called “white vinegar”. Mind you, you might not bother if there was no doubt which vinegar you were talking about. i.e., if there’s only on kind of vinegar on the table, you would say “pass the vinegar”, but if there were more than one you would need to specify, so: “pass the white vineger”. Also, it says “white vinegar” on the label 
Or maybe it’s because I was born in Scotland?