Shredded Cheese=Pro Move

Lost in the flurry of coverage of Barack Obama's "inaugural" trip to Ben's Chili Bowl yesterday was his order: a half-smoke with everything (mustard, onions, and chili) and a side of cheese fries, with shredded cheese-- "not the Velveeta," #44 specifically called for.  The fully-loaded half smoke is a great call, but even more impressive is the order for shredded cheese on the fries.  Now, I'm not sure about the plain cheese fries, but on the chili cheese fries served at Ben's on U (which, given its overflowing size, is easily one of the best deals in town), traditionally an enjoyable, yet of-indeterminate-origin, cheese sauce smothers the fries along with the signature chili.  However, at the the Ben's outpost at the new Nationals Stadium, chili cheese fries come with shredded cheddar, a step up on the culinary ladder (while a parallel move, health-wise), so I know that the Ali family doesn't have a moral objection to shredded cheese on cheese fries with chili.  Nevertheless, I've always been too intimidated to order the chili cheese fries with shredded cheese at the original Ben's--until now.  Perhaps they'll call it "Obama-style" cheese fries.