This Week In French Fry News

In case you didn't know, a deep-fried potato, fondly known as the French fry, is bad for you and can lead to an early death, according to one interpretation of a recent study. But consider this: Aren't we all technically at risk of dying (unless you're an immortal elf or mummy or something)? Nineties' alternative rock band Cake once sang, "As soon as you're born, you start dyin'." So why not go out eating some fries?

Now, unless you deleted your Twitter account or live under a rock, you may have seen our controversial chart of French fry ranking resurface on the World Wide Web. Thanks to Twitter user @CriminelleLaw, a second wave of uproars flooded our notifications. Publications like The Daily Dot started reaching out to us for a comment. The story got passed along to the likes of Houston Chronicle, Thrillist, TeenVogue.com and BroBible.com. We were even featured on the Today Show! We're glad that a simple infographic could unite such disparate media outlets.

Okay, we get it. You think waffle fries shouldn't be number one on our ranking. The Food Republic offices were just as outraged and confused a year ago as the Internet is now. I personally did the math thrice while tallying our survey to confirm that waffle fries really were ranking first. (Oh, and we also debated whether poutine should be included, and decided against it since it's its own category. So to our Canadian friends, look for a poutine-ranking infographic, coming soon!)

I remember ranking waffle fries pretty high on my list. Let me offer some reasoning: How often are you presented with the opportunity to indulge in the waffle fry? The criss-crossed sections of a fried and seasoned potato are on so few menus that some people may leap at the chance to order them. Even if it means they're going to struggle dipping the wide spud in their chosen sauce. Waffle fries are a treat. They're a break from the normal, but equally as delightful, standard cut fry. Or any other fry you favor. Because after all, fries are about freedom, right?