curly fries
during the fall of 1989 (or was it 1990?) i first encountered 'curly fries.' it was thanksgiving and i was at a family gathering in columbus, oh. after visiting the recently opened wexner center for the arts at ohio state university we stopped at rax for lunch. rax is that ohio valley chain akin to arby's. arby's is one of those fast food special delights that i only enjoyed every few months while growing up. anyway, i think rax had recently introduced the curly fry. being the shy, overly picky eater that i still am today, i was hesitant to order this new variation on the traditional fast food string cut french fry. columbus is, of course, a hotbed of fast food activity. someone in our party ordered the 'curly fries' and i was bold enough to try one or two. i won't say that i've been hooked ever since, but during the next few years i enjoyed my share of special occasion curly fries. with their tight curls and special blend of seasonings, curly fries 'pop' in your mouth. they're crispy on the outside with just the right amount of potato content on the inside. by the time i turned 18, curly fries were everywhere - it was such a delight visiting the 'fry bar' during those trips to the college dining hall. i find that five or six curly fries mixed with other fries are a brilliant addition to the french fry food group.