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Brussels, 19th of August 2019 Dear trustees of America’s most-trusted online dictionary, Have you ever heard the term ‘Belgian fry’? Or tasted them in one of the countless friteries that serve Belgian fries across America? Then why is the term ‘Belgian fry’ not yet a part of America’s most-trusted online dictionary? For the sake of our country’s national pride, we, 11 million Belgians, ask you to read this open letter carefully because we would like to ask you to adapt America’s most trusted online dictionary and change the term ‘French fry’ to ‘Belgian fry’. Or at least introduce the term ‘Belgian fry’ in the American language. Why? Simply, because… …on the American National French Fry Day (13th of July), the petition ‘Vote for Belgian fries’ was launched by Belviva, formerly known as Lutosa, a well-known Belgian frozen fries brand that recently Belgified their name to support the Belgian fries. The petition to permanently remove the ‘French’ from French fries and turn them into Belgian fries, was shared on national TV and radio stations. Famous Belgian celebrities supported the action and it was even picked up in France and the Netherlands. To date, almost 20.000 people or 1 out of 500 Belgians has signed the petition. This is huge for a country like Belgium. If we would translate these numbers to the size of America, that would mean 6 million people across the US. …even though there is no unanimity about the dish’s true origin, there is not another single other country in the world where fries are as popular and an inherent part of the culture as they are in Belgium. Every Belgian small village has at least one friterie. Fries are our national dish and a part of our celebrations for the small and the big moments in life. …UNESCO has already declared Belgian fries a cultural treasure and therefore eligible for world heritage status. …all Belgians, including university professors, historians and sociologists, will confirm that Belgian fries are unmistakably at the core of our national identity. And finally, because a Belgian fry can simply not be mistaken for a French fry! Reasons why we would like to ask you to replace the term French Fry by Belgian Fry, or at least add the term Belgian Fry to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, using the following definition: ‘A thick, robust fry, naturally cut, double baked, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. A fry that symbolizes the Belgian fry culture known over the globe.’ Dear people of Merriam-Webster, in the name of all Belgians, we thus kindly ask you to take action on behalf of our national pride and identity. We are looking forward to your reply. Sincerely, 11 million proud Belgians P.S.: Our national heroes, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, who are currently producing the new film ‘Bad Boys for Life’ with Will Smith in Hollywood, will publish a video showing their support on their social media channels today. .

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