Lost in translation.....

Greetings my readers,hope everyone's doing good . it is important for me to try and know about the well being of my readers ,with everything that's happening around,  now more than ever. Afterall humans are just animals who have evolved and all animals have the need and tendency to react ,share, communicate, all in all, be social . This characteristic of our race is the one that separates us , "homo sapiens" from the rest of the animal kingdom . This being the most interesting things about us is taught to Children in the most boring way imaginable  quoting the entire evolution in one lame line "human being is a social animal" . Now to that statement I do not disagree but I definitely find it bland ! It could use some pizzazz . The extract of that statement on the other hand gives us a very valuable thought to hover around, that thought being humans need and love to communicate . With ourselves, with family, friends, colleagues  basically with people. When I started my studies in hospitality , in the very first year we were taught about communication as a subject in our course , it was for the first time in forever I was going to write definitions about basically ''talking" ! The very thing teachers asked you to do as a punishment in primary became a means to score in exam , college life > school life at least in this bout ! The subject was pretty fun in terms of how the lectures and practicals went but the thing that fascinated me the most during that time learning was when I let's say relearned something that was absolutely rudimentary , the line went by and I quote; "Communication is a two way process which takes place in presence of a medium" . A medium here states either a script or language, basically anything you use for expression . If we were to look into the course of history from wars to discoveries to marketing and basically every event significant or insignificant alike that has taken place is passed on to generations of the future with the help of the language . Language to say one's is greater than the other's would be a product of absolute foolishness or sheer bureaucratic agenda . I being a simple 'sober' man am in no liberty to be on either side . Though languages can't be categorized as good or bad but one thing we all can agree to is translations very well can be put under scrutiny . Things often tend to loose purpose , interest and meaning when being deciphered from a foreign script into one's own . So much so that the title of this article is actually a being a whole movie covering the same subject going by the name "Lost in translation" (2003) . Now the question remains what does all this have to do with with this post ? the answer lies into potatoes cut in the shape of long rectangular sticks , blanched , deep fried in fat/oil until beautifully golden brown and unbelievably crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, then generously seasoned with salt . The end product of all these meticulous steps gives us the simple yet significant, the humble yet the intimidating , basic yet the supreme but above all our forever favorite and ever delicious .... "The French Fries" .

But what if I told you that the French fry , the dish that has France embedded in it's very name isn't French at all ? Sounds odd doesn't it ? Well let me tell you how and why . 

There would barely be anyone out there who to the horrors of mankind and food industry wouldn't have heard about the French fry. It's a delicious fast food staple that is known by different names in different parts of the world like the "chip" in England and Australia , "Frites" in France etc  but is enjoyed thoroughly and whole heartedly all over . The French fry was popularized by modern American fast food chains like McDonald's and Burger King  amongst people in America as well the rest of the world as a fast food phenomena and it instantly had hearts won everywhere it went . The French fry was introduced to America by the great Thomas Jefferson who discovered them during the time he was in France serving as an American minister during the time span of 1784 to 1789 . Upon his return he brought back the recepie of it which was collected by his brother who was training there as a chef yet it wasn't anywhere even near to be called a 'French fry' . About the name however the legend says that it was the American soldiers who were posted in Southern Belgium, happened to come across this delicacy  During their time in the World war I . Since it was thought to be the original birthplace of the fried potato where the dish was said to have been created around the late 1600s and southern Belgium residents spoke French , the soldiers hence dubbed them as the "French fry" !  

Current situation stands to a point where the dish has already gained fame and though is a result of false representation or misconception the origin of the those thin, long, crispy and delicious sticks of potato remain disputed . 

To come to an inference the fried potato , call it French fry , finger chips, chips or whatever you like one thing about them never changed was that they were enjoyed throughout the history and even in modern times . It's a thing which makes you forget your worries and without a doubt your diet . Weather eating them plain salted,  with ketchup, mayonnaise or go all Brit and have them with malt vinegar they're delicious in their every avatar . It may be hard to find the origin to some foods and how they came into being but the beauty and power of food being so alive ,so compassionate and so harmonizing that brings people together from all cultures, origins, rubbing off all the boundaries that separates us from one another ,this ladies and gentlemen is the power of food . See it, feel it, believe it for just thinking about it might brighten you up . 

Adwait Patil.