An Official Canada Tweet About Poutine Cheese Got Shredded With Saucy Replies
"Shredded cheese is the lawful evil on the poutine alignment chart."
A classic Quebec poutine with french fries, gravy, and cheese curds.
In a tweet "curd" 'round the province, the government of Canada asked followers what kind of cheese they use in their poutine. Two options were given: cheese curds and shredded cheese. Virtual tables were flipped, jokes were made and cheese-driven furor ensued.
"Poutine is one dish that can bring all Canadian cuisine fans together, but its toppings sure can spark a debate! Some folks eat theirs the traditional way with curds and others use shredded cheese. Are you team cheese curd or team shredded?" asked the seemingly innocuous tweet, seen by nearly 800,000 people.
Poutine purists came out in droves to protect the integrity of the classic Quebec dish.
"Nobody is eating shredded. It's not a thing. Or if they are, it's not poutine. Next, you'll tell us that hotdogs and burritos are sandwiches," snarked one commenter.
"This is actually REAL Québec bashing," commented another.
\u201c@Canada @CdnHeritage @Patrimoinecdn @InspectionCan @InspectionCanFR\u201d— Canada #StandWithUkraine\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Canada #StandWithUkraine\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1674918008
Some people attributed the query to misinformation.
"It really takes a Canadian to think that both are poutine. Any Quebecois knows that shredded cheese is an insult," one person responded.
"To be clear: There are those who use cheese curds and there are those outside Québec that have never eaten poutine before," added another user.
Few responses were in favour of shredded cheese at all, except as a budget-friendly home option.
"If you're paying for poutine, it better be curds. If you're making it at home, and your only choices are cheddar, cheez whiz or sliced singles, then cheddar is an OK alternative. Curds are costly," wrote one commenter.
"Shredded is when I don't have curds, it's a band-aid cheese… No one ever dreams of eating used band-aids. That is my argument," another wrote, bringing a gross image to mind.
One person who advocated on behalf of "team shredded" got others cheesed.
"Grew up with shredded mozzarella melted over fries, best POUTINE ever. I still get shredded cheese on my poutine when it's available," he wrote.
"Sens fans are used to a 2nd class product," quipped someone in reply.
Meanwhile, vegans jumped in calling for no cheese, or dairy-free options.
Perhaps poutine isn't the dish to bring "all Canadian cuisine fans together" after all.