. Other people could not believe that you ate the underground part of the plant, so they ate the leaves instead. This made them sick because there is poison in the leaves. Others grew potatoes for their flowers. At one time in France, potato flowers were one of the most expensive flowers. Marie Antoinette, the wife of King Louis XVI, wore flowers in her hair. Around 1780, the people of Ireland started to eat potatoes. They found that potatoes had many advantages. The potato grew on poor land, and it grew well in their cold and rainy climate. All they had to do was plant the potatoes, and then they could do other work on the farm. On a small piece of land, a farmer could grow enough potatoes to feed his family. A person could eat 8 to 10 pounds of potatoes a day, with some milk or cheese, and be very healthy. Soon, potatoes became the main food in Ireland. Then, in 1845, a disease killed all the potatoes in Ireland. Two million people died of hunger. Many Irish who did not die came to the United States at this time. Over a million Irish came to America; one of them was the great-grandfather of John F. Kennedy. In other parts of Europe, people did not want to change their old food habits. Some preferred to die of hunger rather than eat potatoes. In 1774, King Frederick of Germany wanted to stop his people from dying of hunger. He understood that potatoes were a good food, so he told the people to plant and eat potatoes or else his men would cut off their noses. The people were not happy, but they had no choice and so started to eat potatoes. Today, people in this part of Germany eat more potatoes than any other nationality. Each person eats about 370 pounds of potatoes every year! Today, many countries have their own potato dishes. Germans eat potato salad, and the United States has the baked potato. And of course, the French invented French fries. Now French fries are popular all over the world. The English eat them with salt and vinegar, the French eat them with salt and pepper, the Belgians eat them with mayonnaise, and the Americans eat them with ketchup.