I need an American to answer a random question about chips please

[StealthPolarBear]

What we in the UK call crisps are called chips in america
What we call chips are call fries
And we have 'French fries' - skinny chips. We also have chunky chips, like you'd get in a pub.
Do they have those on America? Are they also called fries? Or something different?
If not I plan to introduce "English seaside chips" to the states ASAP.

Our local Irish restaurant sells shepard’s pie (their spelling), sausage and mash, steak and Guinness pie, Reuben sandwiches, lobster and New England clam chowder amongst other things. It’s fair to say it has an identity problem. Not there, but the last time I had s hepherds pie in the US the meat was on top of the mash, which was very strange.

Yum. Thanks everyone.

In Canada we have Poutine - chips(fries), gravy and cheese. Some people use shredded cheese but the original (and best) is cheese curds - big lumps.

What about cheesy chips? Do you just call them cheesy fries?

Yes, those are cheesy fries here.

BTW, we don't really call them Irish restaurants, we call them Irish pubs, and they serve about the same food menu as you would find a British pub. We have those too, but in far fewer numbers than the Irish variety.

As to fish and chips, they are commonly available here, but not in separate shops. In one hospital I worked in we had so many Brits coming over for medical care back in the 1980's that they had to add fish and chips to the patient menus. The dietician was not pleased as I recall, but was overruled by management, who liked the additional patient population.

It’s fair to say it has an identity problem.

Yep!

I really want chips now, all varieties

Doesn’t anyone have proper home cooked chips anymore. You know, fresh potatoes peeled and chipped then deep fried? They’re the best sort.

Five Guys has the best fast food fries in the US. They are hand cut in the shop from fresh potatoes, deep fried and then served either just salted or with salt and seasoning. That's a small serving in the picture. A large portion comes in a paper bag.

The burgers are insanely good too. I see that they're now in the UK.

www.fiveguys.co.uk/

Tasty burger is head and shoulders above Five Guys, but may only be in Boston.

@MissConductUS We’ve got a Five Guys in our town centre, it’s become our go-to place to eat after we’ve been to the cinema over the road from it.

Tasty burger is head and shoulders above Five Guys, but may only be in Boston.

I've never heard of them, but will consult with DS who goes to university in the Boston area and is a burger gourmand.

I've heard they do have fish and chips over there - would be very interested to hear what that looks like!

It really varies depending on where you get them. My family often orders it in restaurants and it's sometimes a really fresh piece of fish, deep fried in beer batter, with nice fries and usually some coleslaw, and other times it's nasty little pieces of battered fish with skinny fries.

But TBH where I live you'd be more likely to order lobster cooked fresh from the tank than fish and chips.

Our local Irish restaurant sells shepard’s pie (their spelling), sausage and mash, steak and Guinness pie, Reuben sandwiches, lobster and New England clam chowder amongst other things. It’s fair to say it has an identity problem.

Similar here, although ours also does a mean Irish breakfast with proper bangers and black pudding.

UK Five guys is rank! They fry everything in peanut oil and it's the greasiest fast food I've ever tried

To be fair, fish and chips isn't always great in UK restaurants. It's wonderful when it is good, though. I don't suppose you get mushy peas in the US?

I've never seen mushy peas offered in the US. A houseguest (an American who'd lived in London for years) did cook them for me once and they were far more delicious than I'd imagined they could be!

No, no mushy peas on my this side of the pond.😱

They don't have anything like chip shop chips in the US, at least not where I was living. They tend to be less soggy, but obviously aren't as good.

The FiveGuys chips I had were drenched in salt - almost inedible.
Canadian Poutine also not to my taste at all. Salty soggy disgusting mess. (Apologies to Canadians, this is my own personal opinion, I know it’s a national delicacy.)
Generally when I’ve had fish and chips in countries other than the UK, they just can’t get the fish batter right.

Canadian Poutine also not to my taste at all. Salty soggy disgusting mess.

How dare you speak of the finest dish known to mankind this way

BTW I'm from Manchester. Chips and gravy are supposed to be soggy aren't they?

You can get mushy peas in California, I had them regularly there for many years at a pub near my house.

Oh, God, now I have a huge craving for home fries with gravy, and a short stack of pancakes with syrup and bacon.

If anyone opened a proper American diner near me (not a sub-par chain knock-off) I'd be round like a shot.

And I would gain about 3St in a month.

Tasty Burger as in Pulp Fiction?? It's real?

Oh, just checked and they aren't actually called that in Pulp Fiction

A salt & battery are the only place that does proper fish and chips. It is owned by Brits and delicious, although very expensive. Trader Joe’s keeps trying with the British food; the Shepherd’s pie has corn in it, and the crumpets have cinnamon 🙄