Random Rant

Nothing French about this plate!

(Image courtesy of NYMag.com)

I tend to get a little heated when people dislike something and proceed to base the main point of criticism on a misconception, which they unfortunately believe to be true. If you're going to knock something, at least build a proper argument. So after watching Michael Symon - a really fantastic and praiseworthy chef - mock the French Dip sandwich as the snooty counterpart to his cool and approachable Cleveland Dip on today's episode of The Chew, I was frustrated and disappointed. There is nothing French about the French Dip. It's on a French roll and that makes it French, you say? French rolls aren't French either. A baguette? Yes. A bland, soft bun? No. And while I'm at it, I'm going to break news and tell you that French fries are actually Belgian. And French toast is just a resourceful way of using old bread and is not imbued with anything particularly francophile. 

But I digress. What bothers me more than a dish being called French as a result of some random cook or owner's marketing strategy is when the misnomer ends up being used against it. The French have nothing to do with French Dip, and now they've got people making jabs at their culture for being "snooty" based on a dish they've never even heard of. Makes none of the sense to me. Especially considering that their is nothing snooty about a French Dip anyway - it's beef on an old bun drenched in meat broth! With yellow mustard if you're feeling fancy! Symon's sub was far more highbrow than any French Dip I've ever seen.

In the end I must admit that I genuinely enjoy jus-soaked French Dip sandwiches, and I will always look forward to watching Michael Symon praise the virtues of bacon on The Chew. But I'm also going to keep ranting when a dish is reproved for being something it isn't in the first place.