Three Frites
by Paul · 18 June 2026 · Travel & Nature
Belgian frites are fried twice. That's not a detail. Paul has explained this to many people. What he's learned: the frite isn't the point. Belgians are quietly certain about a few things. The third anecdote is too Belgian to explain. You'd have to be here.
The first thing you need to understand about Belgian frites is that they're twice-fried, which is not a detail. The first fry cooks them through at a lower temperature. The second fry, at higher heat, creates the exterior. This is a two-step process requiring patience and the understanding that doing something correctly the first time is often impossible and the real quality is in the return.
I've explained this to French people who insist fries are French. I've explained it to Dutch people who say they're basically the same thing. I've explained it to Americans who say they prefer theirs bigger. What I've learned from these conversations is that the frite is not actually the point. The point is that Belgians are quietly certain about a small number of things and completely unbothered about everything else. A country that has strong opinions about the correct frying temperature of a potato is a country with its priorities in order — in order for them, which may not be in order for you, which is fine.
The third frite anecdote is too Belgian to explain. You'd have to be here.
Read in the app, leave a resonance, discover more stories.