Classic poutine has three basic ingredients:

1. French Fries

Thick-cut potatoes, fried and salted. These are one of most basic and most popular foods in America. This should be no problem.

2. Brown Gravy

Again, nothing too fancy. Just light and thin brown gravy, made from beef, turkey, pork, chicken, or mushroom stock, served SUPER hot.

3. Cheese Curds

This one's a little further off the grid. Cheese curds are somewhat rubbery, squeaky little pieces of cheese (actually, they're milk solids created when cheesemakers intentionally curdle milk — using an enzyme or bacteria — causing it coagulate; so they're almost cheese).

When poutine is made properly, the gravy should be hot enough to melt the cheese curds and make the fries soggy. What you're left with is an awesomely goopy, gravy-licous, hot potato mess. For people who enjoy a night of drinking, poutine works perfectly as a calorie-rich after-bar snack — or the most ideal hangover food in human history. You don't have to be a drunk to enjoy it. You do, however, have to be unconcerned with eating more than 1500 calories in a single, carb-heavy cholesterol-soaked meal. And if you're a real American, you shouldn't be.