# What are British chips - not fries - called in America? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 8, 2019, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-british-chips-not-fries-called-in-america/830791 "2019-03-08T22:13:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-british-chips-not-fries-called-in-america/830791/121 "2019-03-13T23:48:31Z")
What’s this about the condiments at Fuve Guys? The condiments are listed. Why would one expect there to be anything un-listed? ---
**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 13, 2019, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-british-chips-not-fries-called-in-america/830791/122 "2019-03-13T23:53:53Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > In&Out has better burgers and yes Five Guys (the one time I tried it, the time they were very rude about having the condiments i wanted) had better fries. But not lots better. Oh, I thought that in the scale of fast food fries, In N Out is a solid 1, no, sorry, 2 – they _might_ be better than BK fries, but it’s been so long since I’ve been to BK as it’s my least favorite fast food burger joint – and Five Guys is a 9 or 10. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-british-chips-not-fries-called-in-america/830791/123 "2019-03-14T00:43:14Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > What’s this about the condiments at Fuve Guys? The condiments are listed. Why would one expect there to be anything un-listed? The list the condiments that standarly go on the burgers unless you ask for something else. They do carry A1, they dont list it. 1000 island is pretty standard to put on burgers\*, in fact there’s a slightly different version made especially as a burger condiment, not to mention Mcds “secret sauce” which apparently is Hellmans “Big H”. - and more importantly, it is what _I_ like on burgers, so telling me “we wont use that crap here” is insulting. ---
**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:** [March 14, 2019, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-british-chips-not-fries-called-in-america/830791/124 "2019-03-14T01:11:58Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > - and more importantly, it is what _I_ like on burgers, so telling me “ **we wont use that crap here** ” is insulting. Any cash register jockey who said that to me would get his ass fired in a hot minute. I would start with chewing out the manager and work up from there. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-british-chips-not-fries-called-in-america/830791/125 "2019-03-14T14:36:19Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > I think I tried a Five Guys burger once. I don’t recall being impressed. Ditto, plus the music was too fuckin’ loud. \ ---
**Author:** ![Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/59ef9b/32.png) [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorkshire_Pudding)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-british-chips-not-fries-called-in-america/830791/126 "2019-03-19T00:00:28Z")
This strikes me as being a little like asking what an American should order in the UK if they want biscuits: Brits don’t eat the things which Americans call biscuits. I think, in the main, you’re not going to get British-esque chips very often if you’re west of the Atlantic. Steak Fries is what the heftier chips to be called in the US, but anything which actually approximates the flavour and texture of British chip-shop chips will probably be few and far between. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-british-chips-not-fries-called-in-america/830791/127 "2019-03-19T00:04:57Z")
> [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](#): > > Brits don’t eat the things which Americans call biscuits. Scones are pretty close. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-british-chips-not-fries-called-in-america/830791/128 "2019-03-19T00:14:17Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Has anyone outside of Canada sampled poutine? > > [Poutine - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poutine) > > I’ve tried it, but didn’t particularly care for it. I love cheese curds, but think brown gravy should be poured over mashed potatoes only. Of course, but I’m in Minnesota where we sometimes pride ourselves on being almost Canadian 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-british-chips-not-fries-called-in-america/830791/129 "2019-03-19T00:16:44Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Scones are pretty close. No, not at ALL. And biscuits in the U.S. have a lot of regionality. You won’t find Southern style biscuits outside of the South (the flour up North is too hard - you simply can’t make them unless you import the ingredients. ---
**Author:** ![Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/59ef9b/32.png) [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorkshire_Pudding)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-british-chips-not-fries-called-in-america/830791/130 "2019-03-19T00:21:31Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Scones are pretty close. True, very true, but scones are often sweet and studded with dried fruit. If you’re after an American biscuit, you could well be disappointed by a scone, even if it’s not fruited. Maybe I should have picked the other half of the meal. “What do I order in Britain if I want sausage gravy?” “Well…erm…well, you’ll just have to find an amenable cook and give them a recipe…” ---
**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 19, 2019, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-british-chips-not-fries-called-in-america/830791/131 "2019-03-19T00:24:39Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > No, not at ALL. When I worked at a restaurant in Scotland, I had real scones for the first time. If you didn’t tell me it was a scone, I would have thought it was a biscuit. Then again, I’m a Yankee (Northerner), so I don’t have the fine-tuned taste for biscuits, but they were damned nearly indistinguishable to me at the time. (Though I have made biscuits from White Lily flour – it used to be available here at Meijer. Last time I looked for it, though, it wasn’t there.) Maybe if I had them again now, being 20 years older and more experienced with food, I’d notice. Then again, I had the same feeling about English chips. They just seemed like pretty ordinary French fries to me, just a bit bigger and stubbier. ---
**Author:** ![Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/59ef9b/32.png) [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorkshire_Pudding)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-british-chips-not-fries-called-in-america/830791/132 "2019-03-19T00:27:00Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > No, not at ALL. > > And biscuits in the U.S. have a lot of regionality. You won’t find Southern style biscuits outside of the South (the flour up North is too hard - you simply can’t make them unless you import the ingredients. Well…as a style of baked goods, a British scone and an American biscuit are part of a continuum, at least. They’re not the same, absolutely, and scones are often sweetened, but as doughs go, they’re not a million miles apart. If I want a biscuit, a scone won’t do (and vice versa), but they’re closer to each other than anything else is to either of them, I think. I generally explain American biscuits to Brits by using a scone as a starting point then working out from there! ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-british-chips-not-fries-called-in-america/830791/133 "2019-03-19T00:27:41Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > Yep. [Here’s an example of fish & chips from a local Irish-style chipper.](https://www.washingtonian.com/2015/06/11/eamonns/) I miss them; the nearest one is a Starbucks now. These are basically Five Guy’s french fries, often advertised as “hand cut” fries in hot dog stands around the country. ---
**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:** [March 19, 2019, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-british-chips-not-fries-called-in-america/830791/134 "2019-03-19T00:59:04Z")
Not nearly greasy enough to be Five Guy’s fries. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-british-chips-not-fries-called-in-america/830791/135 "2019-03-19T01:00:37Z")
> [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](#): > > “What do I order in Britain if I want sausage gravy?” Scones without fruit. 😃 Are Brits familiar with the term “quickbread”? ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-british-chips-not-fries-called-in-america/830791/136 "2019-03-19T02:32:28Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > So at Burger King and McDonalds in Britain, what do they call their fried potato strings? In Australia Burger King, KFC and Macca’s all call them French Fries. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-british-chips-not-fries-called-in-america/830791/137 "2019-03-19T02:57:23Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > Of course, but I’m in Minnesota where we sometimes pride ourselves on being almost Canadian 🙂 I was born and raised in Minneapolis, went to college in St Paul. Most of the people I encountered there over 30+ years were Midwesterners trying to act like New Yorkers. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-british-chips-not-fries-called-in-america/830791/138 "2019-03-19T13:24:49Z")
> [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](#): > > Well…as a style of baked goods, a British scone and an American biscuit are part of a continuum, at least. They’re not the same, absolutely, and scones are often sweetened, but as doughs go, they’re not a million miles apart. If I want a biscuit, a scone won’t do (and vice versa), but they’re closer to each other than anything else is to either of them, I think. I generally explain American biscuits to Brits by using a scone as a starting point then working out from there! I’ve made them both - I’m a pretty accomplished amatuer baker (as in wedding cakes that people pay for and homemade pains au chocolate). They are the same family of food, but if I ordered a scone in the U.K. and got something that American me thought was a biscuit, I’d be really disappointed - likewise, if someone in the U.S. served me something called a biscuit that turned out to be a U.K. style scone, I wouldn’t be getting what I asked for (though I’d likely be pleased, I love scones). (I’ve yet to have a good British style scone in the U.S. - they sell them all over the place, but they aren’t the same - and I haven’t been able to find a recipe to make a British style scone - it might be the flour) ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-british-chips-not-fries-called-in-america/830791/139 "2019-03-19T13:27:03Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I was born and raised in Minneapolis, went to college in St Paul. Most of the people I encountered there over 30+ years were Midwesterners trying to act like New Yorkers. I’ve lived here for about 45 of my 52 years, raised two kids here to adulthood. I know no one like that. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-british-chips-not-fries-called-in-america/830791/140 "2019-03-19T13:44:54Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Scones without fruit. 😃 > > Are Brits familiar with the term “quickbread”? Not this Brit! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-british-chips-not-fries-called-in-america/830791.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-british-chips-not-fries-called-in-america/830791.md?page=8)