Though the humble chip butty has been a staple in beachy picnics and lazy Sunday afternoon lunches for eons in Australia (likely thanks to British ex-pat relos), it’s absolutely Not A Thing in the US. Lucky for them, they’ve just discovered the beauty of a chippy roll thanks to a new menu rolled out in Burger King…in New Zealand.
I know, I feel like Charlie Day in the whole ‘Pepe Silvia/Carol from HR’ fiasco too.
So New Zealand, who still have Burger King restaurants instead of Hungry Jacks like us, has rolled out a ‘Change Range’ menu recently, which features their take on the chip-shop staple. It’s essentially chippies, drizzled in tomato sauce and mayo, sandwiched between the BK burger buns. Nothing exceptional, but that’s the beauty of a chip butty.
Because the US is also a part of the extended Burger Kingdom, American news sites have started picking up on the “burger that’s nothing but french fries” available at NZ stores, bewildered by the fact that such a thing exists.
Literally everyone else who’s grown up outside of the US is mostly confused by the fact that Americans haven’t experienced a chippy butty before.
Today’s Twitter news: Americans discover the chip butty and entirely lose their shit over it. Much to the nonplusment of everyone in the UK.
— Mog 🦓⚧️ (@MogTheConfessor) February 18, 2020
We’re they been, I have been eating chip cobs since I was 5 ????♂️
— crankytoz (@tozol) February 17, 2020
Do they not eat chip rolls in the US?
— KIDD (@pretentiousbitc) February 17, 2020
Its already been tested for over a hundred years in th U.K… it’s called a chip butty so jog on french fry boys!!
— floyd (@floydyid) February 17, 2020
The one thing that’s surprised me about everyone being like “lol this already exists” is that not everyone calls it a chip butty. Alike to our penchant for calling it a potato cake/scallop/fritter, the humble butty is also known as a “chip barm”, “chip cob”, or a “chip bap.” Which baffles me. Can we please discuss that more – it’s a chip butty and I refuse to hear otherwise.
Over here in Aus, Hungry Jacks has been peddling out a kind-of chip butty since late January, which involves chippies littered with bacon bits and smothered in a cheese sauce, which kinda goes beyond being able to call it a chip butty, if you ask me.
So I guess if you’re in New Zealand any time soon, give the Burger Kin chippy butty a red hot go. I might just stick to the tried and true chippy shop butty though, thanks.
