A French Restaurant Was Forced To Defend Itself For A Baffling Reason
Controversy surrounding a popular dish at a French restaurant is forcing the establishment to defend itself.
This article is more than 2 years old
After receiving a litany of threats in recent days a popular poutine restaurant in France has had to defend itself for a major mix-up. The three-location chain became a source of controversy in the country, not because of their amazing French fries, cheese curds, and gravy combo – but due to the establishment’s name.
Maison de la Poutine, which translates to The House of Poutine, said the source of people’s anger seems to be confusion about what poutine means. As the Russian invasion of Ukraine intensifies, some folks have incorrectly assumed that the name used by the poutine restaurant is associated with the country’s leader. Strangely enough, his last name translates to “Poutine” in French.
Now the eatery wants to make it very clear that it has absolutely no relation to President Vladimir Putin. In a letter it shared on social media, the poutine restaurant explained that its name and signature dish had nothing to do with… that guy. “Our dish was born in Quebec in the 1950s,” the restaurant said via Food & Wine. The statement also said there are numerous stories about the delicacy’s origin.
They want people to understand that poutine was created by a group of passionate restaurant chefs who wanted to bring joy and comfort to customers. Over the years, The House of Poutine has worked each day to perpetuate these values. And in these distressing times of conflict, it gives sincere support to the Ukrainian people who are courageously fighting for their freedom against the tyrannical Russian regime.
Speaking about the terrible mix-up the poutine restaurant’s co-founder Guillaume Natas told Le Parisien that threats have been coming in rather frequently Maison de la Poutine’s Paris locations. “We have up to five or six calls per hour,” he told the publication. However, he hasn’t filed an official complaint because he feels that the police have more important things to do. And while the situation is troubling, it’s nothing compared to what Ukrainians are experiencing.
Meanwhile, Frites Alors!, a poutine specialty restaurant based elsewhere in France, said it felt compelled to change the name of its signature dish from “Vladimir” to “The Mother of Poutines” following Russia’s onslaught on their neighbors. In a post on Instagram, the eatery said after 32 years the play on words chosen for their flagship poutine is not funny anymore. Speaking to Le Progres, manager Morgiane Benaziza said, “We are obviously against what’s happening in Ukraine. We are afraid that people will associate our restaurant with Vladimir Putin.”
Joining the name change trend, Quebec diner Le Roy Jucep said it planned to temporarily remove the word poutine from its restaurant’s online branding. The restaurant, which claims to have invented poutine, is now simply calling its dish “fries cheese gravy.” And, as reported by Today, an eatery in Texas, formerly known as Russian House also announced that it would drop the word “Russian” from its moniker. The owner is of Eastern European heritage and said the move was a way to show solidarity with Ukraine.
