La Fête Nationale, les bons moments sont sur!

Bonne fête nationale à partir de vos amis les habitants de Genesee Dog Park!

Commonly known as the "fourteenth of July" (le quatroze julliet), Bastille Day commemorates the day in 1789 when ticked-off Parisian peasants stormed the Bastille, a fortress that incarcerated working-class prisoners. To the proletariat, the Bastille represented the hypocrisy and corruption of the government controlled by the French aristocracy and clergy. In a face-saving gesture, King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette fled for Versailles.

Ten days ago we celebrated our national day of liberation with grotesque consumption of fatty foods, so an encore seems well in order. And what better side dish to expand the ever-growing waistline than the ever-popular French fries? The fat and calorie count notwithstanding, french fries don't seem controversial. However, seven years ago red-state wingnuts went ballistic when the French government expressed opposition to American military invasion in Iraq.

Some attempted to excorcise term "French" in our reference to fried potatoes and toast. Ubiquitous French fries became "freedom" or "American" fries in some circles. Restaurants and snack bars operated by the United States House of Representatives renamed the fried spuds so as to remove them from their French roots. The moratorium in the U.S. House eateries remained in effect for the better part of the decade. So much for "célébrer les différences".

You say "freedom fries", the French say "pomme frites". Want to increase the possibility of artery clogging: Dip your pomme frites in mayonnaise as in Belgium (or tartar sauce as we Seattleites do). Fry your pomme frites in duck fat, and you'd better budget for a bypass graft in six or nine years.

Wash your pomme frites down with a French 75. On ne vit qu'une fois.

French 75

• 1 oz. gin
• 1 oz. Cointreau
• Squeeze of lime juice
• Sugar cube
• Chilled champagne

Drop sugar cube in champagne glass.

Combine Cointreau, gin and lie juice in a martini shaker. Mix and strain contents into the champagne class.

Garnish with maraschino cherry or orange wedge.