French Fries Lose Some of Their 'A-Peel'
One of the pillars of American culture as we know it is crumbling: the French Fry.
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Americans aren't just renaming their french fries these days -- they're actually choosing not to eat them.
After being considered a genuine treat by generations of kids, and grown-ups, too, sales of the fried strips of potatoes fell 10 percent in 2002, according to a recent study.The greasy slope on which fries are sliding stems from heavy discounting of other foods like burgers, chicken sandwiches and chili.
Since late last year, McDonald's Corp. and Burger King have been duking it out in a price war that has seen burgers and other premium items changing hands for just a dollar as fast-food restaurants try to win back consumers.
French fries have been one of the most popular items at fast-food restaurants.
"They've (french fries) enjoyed tremendous growth every year for the last decade, but now they're being replaced by anything for a dollar," said Harry Balzer, vice president of the NPD Group Inc., a market research firm that conducted the survey.
"Consumers are exercising their choice and pairing up a hamburger with a parfait or a salad from the dollar menu," Balzer said in a statement.
Yep. It's official. Americans are just a bunch of cheap asses....
