A restaurant in France is attempting to clear its name after some confusion over one of its French-Canadian menu items.
Maison de la Poutine has come under fire as its signature dish — fries, gravy and cheese curds — shares the same name as Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In French, Putin’s last name is written and pronounced “Poutine,” exactly like Quebec’s signature dish.
The restaurant, which has four locations in France including three in Paris, wants diners to know it has absolutely no relation to Putin, nor do they support him in any way.
“Our dish was born in Quebec in the 1950s. And the stories to tell its origin are numerous. But one thing is certain: poutine was created by passionate cooks who wanted to bring joy and comfort to their customers,” the company tweeted.
“The House of Poutine has worked since its first day to perpetuate these values and today brings its most sincere support to the Ukrainian people who are courageously fighting for their freedom against the tyrannical Russian regime.”
The restaurant said it’s received “insulting calls” from confused patrons, and co-founder Guillaume Natas told Le Parisien that threats have become frequent in the restaurant’s Paris locations.
“We have up to five or six calls per hour,” he said, explaining that he hasn’t filed an official complaint yet because he thinks “the police have other things to do.”
An employee at the Maison de la Poutine in Toulouse told France Bleu that they’re receiving calls “from people who say that it is a shame to work for the Russian state, to have subsidies from Mr. Putin.”
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She added that others “shout insults” as they walk by, and some staffers are concerned that those behaviours could escalate to vandalism or violence.
Businesses and industries worldwide have been scrambling to cut ties with the Russian economy, ever since Russia began its war on Ukraine.
Earlier this month, Quebec restaurant Le Roy Jucep, who claims to be the inventor of poutine, announced it was temporarily removing the word from some of its online branding to express its “deep dismay” over Russian aggression in Ukraine.
The restaurant’s Facebook page now describes itself as the inventor of the “fries cheese gravy”, rather than poutine.
Another poutinerie in the town of Lyon, France announced recently that it has decided to change the name of its “Vladimir” poutine.
“Ciao Vladimir! After 32 years, the pun chosen for our flagship poutine is no longer very funny,” the restaurant wrote on Instagram. “We replace its name with ‘The Mother of Poutines.’”
“We are obviously against what is happening in Ukraine. We are afraid that people will associate our restaurant with Vladimir Putin,” manager Morgiane Benaziza told Le Progres. “We did not receive a threat, unlike other restaurants.”
Online, Canadians have been calling for people to get their “poutines” straight.
“People, please stop confusing Putin and poutine,” tweeted one user. “One is a dangerous and unwholesome mix of greasy, lumpy and congealed ingredients, the other is a delicious food.”
— with files from The Canadian Press
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