The longest chip in the world is...(of course) a French fried potato

There's something strange going on in the north of France.

Just a couple of months after the folk of Sainghin-en-Weppes created a new record for the world's longest chip, French fry, frite or whatever you choose to call it, those from Violaines have gone one better.

Actually they've gone several centimetres better if the truth be told by serving up a chip measuring a whopping 34 centimetres - 9.5 cms longer than the previous record holder.

All right, so perhaps it's not the sort of thing that'll set the country talking or help in its application to have French grub recognised by Unesco as part of the world's cultural heritage.

But it is enough to make it into the Guinness book of records (if as expected it is validated) and a feat (or should that be a "frite") for the locals to be proud of.

Perhaps there's something in the air or more likely the soils as the two towns are just 11 kilometres apart and as everyone (surely) knows a giant chip requires one heck of a spud.

The idea for an attempt came when a friend of Sébastien Billet, the man behind the big chip, dug up a huge 1.2 kilogramme potato - enough for a record or two in its own right.

But the 40-year-old had bigger plans for the brute of a vegetable and inspired by what had taken place in September in Sainghin-en-Weppes, he the 40-year-old thought he would make try his own luck.

He chose the venue - the brasserie Chez Chantal in Violaines - for his monster fry-up, and under the watchful eye of an official adjudicator, the potato was fried.

"We a bit potty," admitted a delighted and proud Billet.

"I've already had calls and orders for two-and-a-half tonnes of chips, and I don't even sell them," he added.

A tale then which might perhaps make the Belgians, often the butt of French jokes about "strange" accents and love of chips, smile a little.

And perhaps it counts as pay back time for the somewhat snooty fashion in the which the French often view the cuisine of their smaller neighbour and that less than politically correct joke that asks, "Where is the biggest chip shop in Europe?"

Answer: "On the border between France and the Netherlands."*

No word on how much ketchup, mayonnaise or vinegar was needed as an accompaniment.





*Hint - a quick glance at a map will show you that those two countries don't share a frontier - because Belgium is in the way.

When French fries spell a lawsuit

A woman from the northeastern French town of Rheims is seeking €100, 000 in compensation for slipping on a chip - the French fries variety and nothing to do with uneven flooring or a broken paving stone.

On Tuesday Nicole Borgnon had her day in court to tell her side of an incident that has left her disabled and unable to walk properly.

(from wikipedia)

If you thought your were all done with the madness that seems to be the French justice system at the moment - think again.

Here's yet another post on an issue that's costing the French tax payer serious money as it makes its way through the country's courts. It could also result in a hefty bill for the company being sued.

And although it has been treated with a degree of lightheartedness by the French media and seems at first sight rather superficial, there is undoubtedly a lot at stake - not least for Borgnon, for whom the consequences of the incident upon which the case is based, have been life-altering.

It happened late one evening in September 2007 when Borgnon popped into the local branch of Quick - a French-Belgian fast food chain similar to McDonald's.

The 38-year-old left the premises, not with hamburgers for her four children as she had been intending, but with a triple fracture of the knee. She subsequently underwent surgery and as a consequence of that operation, suffered a pulmonary embolism (a blockage of the pulmonary artery).

Borgnon claims she slipped on a French frie that had been lying on the floor of the restaurant, and since the incident her life has never been the same. Today she is unable to work and cannot walk unaided.

"(Since I slipped) My life has been turned upside down," she told French television.

"I no longer have the kind of life I had before. I can't do what I want with my children or my husband. We don't go out and I have to go three times a week for physiotherapy."

Far from being a frivolous affair as the story as has been portrayed in much of the French media, Borgnon's lawyer believes the case highlights the obligation any restaurant has to ensure the safety and security of its clientele.

"Today we're faced with a woman who is incapicitated, who has lost her job because of a fall (caused by a chip)," said Emmanuel Ludot.

"But above all we have the behaviour of the restaurant, which refused to take responsibility because it didn't want to declare an accident having occurred on its premises to its insurance company."

While the management doesn't deny that Borgnon fell on its premises, it disputes her version of the event and insists rather that she tripped over her own feet.

"On the day in question there was no food on the floor. It was clean and dry," said Francis Fossier, the lawyer for the fast food chain, and he maintains there is no evidence to prove otherwise.

"The woman simply slipped herself because of the heels she was wearing," he added.

"A ridiculous case is being made of a simple accident, with a claim for an extraordinary sum of money."

Furthermore he insists that there were four other customers in the restaurant at the time who all testified that there was nothing on the floor. The only person to corroborate Borgnon's claims, he said, was her sister who had accompanied her inside.

Before the claim is settled, Borgnon's lawyer also wants the court to order an independent medical report to ascertain the full extent of her injuries.

A ruling on the case is expected in mid December.