Evidently, the AP ran a story on February 17 about Cubbie's, a diner in Beaufort, North Carolina, which has changed a listing on the menu from "French Fries" to "Freedom Fries." Now, mostly I'm just noting this to keep the focus on the French, but also I find the spread of the story fascinating. First, a small-town restaurant near a military base does something goofy, then the wire picks it up, then CNN mentions it, then its in every newspaper and blog in the country.
And this is the odd thing: there's not really a story there. There would certainly be a story if, after the goofy wire story, a hundred other diners changed their menus. If there really was some possibility that (like the frankfurter) the new name would catch on and replace the old. But, in fact, that hasn't happened. None of the recent stories have been about the trend, just about Cubbie's (the name has been dropped off in the two mentions that started me wondering).
On the other hand, I could be wrong, and there could be an actual trend, and I just haven't seen it reported. Let me know.
Thank you,
-Vardibidian.