Belgian fries campaign in Southeast Asia
“It should be over with the misleading name “French fries”, because fries are not French, but Belgian”.
That is the purport of a Belgian crusade against the naming French fries, which is currently being campaigned in Southeast Asia by the Flemish Center for Agro- and Fisheries Marketing (VLAM). It is of course not just about the name, but also about promoting the sale of fries made in Belgium.
Campaigns
The aim of the campaign is to put Belgian fries on the menu in Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand. It's about the competition in this region where “shorter and thicker” Belgian fries have to fight against the “French fries”, long and thin from Canada, Australia, the United States and the Netherlands. Belgapom, the professional association for the Belgian potato trade, has been campaigning for several years to market Belgium as the number one country for fries. To this end, it travels around the world with the 'James Bint-Buy Belgian fries' campaign. “Fries are ours,” says Romain Cools of Belgapom.
Financiering
This specific campaign is financed with 3 million euros by the Belgian government, which adds as an extenuating circumstance that 80% of this amount comes from European funds. Part of the campaign is that the 5 Belgian embassies in the aforementioned countries will have their own chip shop, which they can use to promote Belgian fries at events.
Publicity
The efforts of the Belgians to get their fries as “Belgian Fries” on the menus in these countries has received quite a bit of publicity in the media and on television in Belgium. The immediate reason was the visit of Geert Bourgeois, the Flemish Prime Minister, who leads an economic mission in Vietnam, where, of course, Belgian fries were also propagated. Earlier this week, a long article appeared in the newspaper “De Morgen” on this subject, which generated more than 40 comments from readers
Most of the reactions concerned the discussion about the origin of fries, but in my opinion that is a tired topic. I found some comments interesting about the value of promoting Belgian fries, I will mention two:
“It would be better if we made ourselves better known abroad for other things. We used to export mirrors, buses, trains, telephone exchanges, high-quality electronic equipment, HS transformers, etc. And now they come up with “THE FRIET”! The basis for Belgian jokes in South East Asia is in the making….”
and the other:
“Tough negotiations, think tanks, 'Belgian fries'!!! saw it on tv yesterday, so people get paid for that. That is allowed, but if money has no value, what are they doing?!”
Belgian embassies
The Belgian embassies are apparently expected to also seek publicity in their respective countries with the chip shop offered. I don't know how they are going to do that, but I don't see the ambassador himself standing behind the chip oven with a chef's hat on. We'll see and keep you posted.
Chip shop in Pattaya
The first offensive in Thailand has already begun. The Belgian embassy in Bangkok has shared a message on its Facebook page with the announcement that a real chip shop will be opened in Pattaya at the beginning of July. It will be appropriately named De Fritkot. This chip shop will be located in the center in Soi Elkee, but for now the Belgian fries are only for sale in a bar/gasthouse in Pratamnak. See their Facebook page. On occasion we will also report about this chip shop in Pattaya.
Finally
I wanted to tell you something about the French fries market in Thailand, but I remembered that I have already done that. I dug into Thailandblog's archive and found my story from 2011: www.thailandblog.nl/eten-drinken/patat-en-chips-thailand
I don't turn down a nice fries every now and then, although I don't hate rice and eat it almost every day.
But it's just a pity that it is sometimes disappointing, especially at the large chains, where you would expect them to fry the fries as they once learned at the "Academy".
DE fritkot.: would it be a walloon brother or sister who will run it judging by the name?
Belgian colors are already there. Third time lucky after the Lou and the Patrick. Thought I'd go there for fries next week because I heard it would open on 01/06. Will be a month later according to the blog. Good luck.
D. Es
When I look at the packaging of the frozen fries, the thick and the thin, most fries come from the Netherlands.
Do the Flemish still have a lot to do?
But yes, I like the somewhat thicker fries better.
That's why I make it myself.
That's why those frozen fries are a bad copy of the original.
Let us rather say that the Dutch still have a lot of work to do before they can bear the name Belgian fries. 😉
Didn't think so 80% of the so-called Belgian fries also happen to come from the Netherlands. To make matters worse, 95% of chips potatoes come from the Netherlands.
Sorry. But the larger fries companies all reside in the Netherlands.
Aviko, Ras, Agristo, Farm Frites (the largest exporter to Asia), Lamb Weston, McCain, Oerlemans and Peka.
This puts the fries away for other well-known names as well. Farm Frites joins in. McD. and RAS does KFC.
Farm Frites is very strong in China.
That is exactly what they want to change by placing a quality label on it.
All those you name may still continue to sell something that looks like French fries.
However, people no longer want this to be done under the name Belgian fries if it does not meet certain requirements.
And where the fries, the bintje, comes from is not so important.
What you do with those chips is much more important.
A tree does not have to be cut down in Mechelen in order to later turn it into a Mechelen piece of furniture.
Look, that is now a difference between Belgians and Dutch.
Give a Belgian and a Dutchman fries each.
A Belgian will make Belgian fries out of it. With a Dutchman it will always be fries.
😉
@Ronny, it's pathetic how you defend the so-called Belgian fries, but I have bad news for you.
It was already mentioned above that many fries are produced in the Netherlands, but I would also like to mention a number of Belgian companies that export fries. The potatoes from which Belgians make fries come from Northern France or the Netherlands. Belgium does have an area of potato cultivation, which is fed by Dutch seed potatoes.
It gets even worse with the French fries production lines. In Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Germany and many countries outside Europe, almost all come from the Netherlands. Quite a few of these were supplied by the company I worked for in the XNUMXs as a commercial director.
The Netherlands and Belgium are striving for the title of largest French fries exporter in Europe. France and Germany follow. For years the Netherlands was number 1, Belgium has taken over that baton for a few years, but the latest position is that the Netherlands has a market share of 30%, Belgium 23%. So they don't do much for each other.
In other words: whether the fries are produced in any country, the procedure is the same. Quality differences are at most in the sorting method: the length, for example, and do you remove the fries with black dots (caramelized sugar) or not.
An anecdote from that time: a Belgian company bought a French fries production line from us with all possible twists and turns. It could make fries of any length and thickness, straight cut or crinkle cut, short potato pieces and black dots could be removed, in short, a universal production line. The company also had the Belgian army as a customer and if it was produced for that purpose, all sorting options were switched off. For Jan Soldaat it was not quality, but quantity.
I could say a lot more about it, but let me conclude with the following: when we talk about frozen fries, there is no such thing as typical Belgian fries. That Belgian fries, as you say, must meet certain requirements in order to be called Belgian fries, is sheer nonsense.
Sorry!
"The fact that Belgian fries, as you say, must meet certain requirements in order to be called Belgian fries, is sheer nonsense."
And that is exactly what people want to change now compared to the past.
Ronny lets them anyway, they miss the point, it is not about whether the Netherlands are the largest suppliers of petat, it is about what they make of it... the original spaghetti also came from China by Marco Polo and no one in the Netherlands would Denying Italians mastery...
but oho when it comes to those damned southern neighbors who have snatched the driest piece of land from NLD……(wink)..it is about how much or how little fries, but about the highest quality not those from the supermarket ….. compare it with tasty Cava and Champagne one is not the other …
Indeed David.
That's where I want to go. Not quantity, but quality label.
Why would Belgium campaign for something that, according to someone, is 80 percent owned by the Netherlands.
In that case, the Netherlands should be grateful to the Belgian government for so much advertising for their economy.
But let's let the Dutch Embassy promote the bitterballen... not 😉
Eh, as a real groninger, I limit my fries or fries to RAS fries from AVIKO from Uithuizen.
http://www.raspatat.nl/
This with real Javanese peanut sauce and no satay sauce.
http://suricepten.nl/recepten/pindasambal
Fortunately, we have peanuts and tamarin in our garden in Utaradit.
Only the RAS is the big problem.
Furthermore, I have been eating this since mid-1967 1968 or something and like to drive a street for it. In the mid-70s with a friend from Eindhoven to Bergen op Zoom to consume a RAS fries.
Such a campaign is quite a good idea. But a fritkot alone is not enough. It is ideal street food. And steppe grass hmhm .. Go to Belgium occasionally especially for that. A good fries baked in osse white .. Is a delicacy. I say: Belgians be proud of your fries!
I used to be told in school that the French kings loved the newly imported potato from South America.
The cooks at court had to come up with many variations, including fried in oil.
which Soi may this be; Soi LK Metro or Soi Lenkee
At home I bake the fries myself, take the Thai sweet potato without pre-cooking or baking, fry them in an aluminum wok with a little sunflower oil until they are deliciously brown, the advantage is that these potatoes do not get full of fat, a little Thai aroma there over and ready, enjoy your meal.
The big problem for me is that there is neither acceptable ox white for sale nor acceptable potatoes on the fries to make yourself.
I do suggest here that I do not live in Pattaya, Hua Hin or Bangkok, but just in the countryside.
Potatoes galore, but my baking attempts always end in too brown, not tasty fries.
I now understand that this is because the Thai potatoes have too much sugar.
The only solution is to first boil for 10 minutes, and then fry in sunflower oil. But it doesn't compare to a real Belgian fries….
Fries baked in Ossewit are indeed very tasty, but comfort you, it is no longer for sale in almost any shop in the Netherlands, as it is bad for your health because it is animal fat.
It is now outdated that animal fat is bad for health. So feel free to eat your fries baked in ox white.
Now a few more places where you can eat hot dogs, and we are a bit further on our way….
You know them: elongated bun, sauerkraut, some mature sausage and a good dollop of mustard (the good one).
Those "sliding sandwiches" certainly didn't work out?
All too contrived.
In Phnom Penh you had one kind of glorified chip shop: Monsieur Patate. The owner (a typically corpulent Wallonian) returned to his own people not so long ago. But the business still exists. Went there more often to eat fries with samurai sauce.
Although I also like to eat chips with my meal, I think a campaign supported by the government to sell junk food is really exaggerated.
The Americans will bring their burgers to Thailand, the Italians their Pizzas, the Germans their Fleischkäse and the Belgians their fries. Can't believe this kind of food is preferred over a healthy eating campaign.
I've seen a big increase in the number of Thais who are really fat here in the last almost 40 years that I've been coming to Thailand, partly due to the lack of exercise (thanks to computer and "mobile" phone) and the rubbish they buy at shops. like 7/11 and family store buy.
And now a government-backed campaign? What kind of government is that that supports eating French fries?
I remember that in the Netherlands, the Limburgers and especially from the Kerkrade area, are about the worst fed people in the Netherlands, because of their excessive consumption of chips and relatives. People stuff themselves with croquettes, tasty rolls, bami snacks, frikandellen and huge plates full of fries and mayonnaise.. and then wonder where those fat rolls come from.
I would say, Belgian government, make a campaign for conscious healthy eating in your own country and leave out that kind of nonsense, especially here in Thailand!
You mention one of the causes. French fries are not necessarily unhealthy. Too much yes.
What is the main cause of many fat people is the fact that they can choose more financially and eat more (see end of story).
To call a Belgian action bad and then involve Limlanders is a strange thing. Limlanders are Dutch (Gecht).
To immediately include all Mora snacks is also a strange one.
There are many causes of fat people.
1. Too little exercise
2. Eating too many Kjoules or calories.
3. Changed diet that does NOT match the genes. 2562 years of rice and now wheat noodles
Mama's noodles are bad too.
What is a recognized cause is soft drinks and fruit juices. 1 glass of orange juice is worse than 1 same glass of cola in terms of sugars. THERE lies the basic problem.
Be an example yourself. June 2015 still 128 kg. By mainly leaving soft drinks and juices and eating a varied diet (fries with satay sauce and onions I still eat and also frikandellen and minced meat sticks with the same but in moderation (2 times a month or so) In October 2015 to 88 kg and in May 2016 to 73 kg which I still weigh.
Where I am and that is due to the growing financial situation of the Thai. Going to eat an ice cream (2 scoops) in Royal Garden Plaza with my wife in Pattaya. Sitting next to us a boy of about 12 – 14 years old gets half a melon with ice cream from his parents. At least 12 balls. Boy not really happy but parents just take pictures of the boy while he was eating. Billy Turf would be jealous of the boy's size.
You are right, but when is a certain amount TOO much? The fact that I involve the Limburgers is because I am one myself and I was always amazed at how much my fellow townspeople and provincials swallowed. An example of what not to do.
Congratulations on your weight. I myself don't know what to do anymore... don't drink soft drinks and fruit juice myself, only 100% juice without added sugars and no more than one glass a day.
But to come back to this Belgian fries campaign… Yes, I also like that reaction, that if you already eat fries, then better the Belgian ones (I'm not saying that, but the campaign)
The best chips I've ever eaten myself was in Phuket almost forty years ago! Yes correct. In a small resort restaurant you could order fries. I was only 23 at the time, but I had been traveling in Asia for five months. Probably because I hadn't eaten fries in months and because they were fresh, from real potatoes, crispy and nicely salted. No Belgian or for my part Dutch, let alone McDonalds and co-fries could match that.
It is not a campaign to eat more fries.
It's a campaign that says, if you're going to eat fries, get the best ones and get Belgian ones.
Compare it to a national airline campaign.
Everyone knows by now that flying is very harmful to the environment.
But that campaign says if you do fly, take our national airline…
Hopefully, after the real Belgian fries, they will also add the real homemade mayonnaise and not those sweet American or other brands.
That's right Bob.
Good Belgian fries deserve a good drizzle of mayonnaise.
Turning mayonnaise into fries sauce should also be avoided.
I support your proposal. 😉
and certainly not those disgusting sticks from Mc Donalds!!
which makes me wonder what are they made of? potato?
Just a few links that tell you that fries are not that unhealthy at all.
But as with everything, if it says TE, it's unhealthy.
https://goo.gl/dRmsF3
https://goo.gl/gE8vnd
https://goo.gl/w8Pmus
Manfarang, potato is available everywhere here in Thailand and it is of good quality. My girlfriend makes very tasty fries from it in the common oils available here. Tastes better than anywhere else. Only the mayonnaise is difficult to obtain, the good one that is.
I would also like to point out that it is the potato of the nightshade family and the tubers can be eaten and the berries are poisonous. It originally comes from South America and you can imagine that the Indian population there was already making fries before they came to the European country. There are many anecdotes about how this tuber ended up in European stomachs. Fish and chip was a program of the English government to alleviate hunger and poverty in the 17th century. In Ireland in the late 1800's the Great Hunger unit broke which was the result of the glass eel which completely destroyed the potato crop. Many took their last cents and emigrated to America. There they arrived at New York in carantaire on Conny Island and if they were allowed to go to mainland, a signature was placed on the ID of the chief immigration officer. The abbreviation of his name was OK. And so the potato and its fries have an international reputation and it is OK and who or what can claim this.
Nice explanation.
Only Ok was not a name, but an indication “all clear”. This means that they did not have a contagious disease such as TB…. Did you have to separate yourself when you were sweating? Now everyone was sweating according to the elder in the family... Out of fright...
.