‘À La Mode’ Is a Lonely Survivor of a French Culinary Code

(via Atlas Obscura)  You don’t have to be French to know what à la mode means. Even at the humble American diner, where Gallic influence is usually limited to French fries and French dips, desserts are tagged with the term. Pies, cakes, and even pancakes and waffles can come crowned with a scoop of ice cream: in other words, à la mode.