I get that the wonderful people who created this platform speak American English and usually remember to use the American version of the word when required (and just sob quietly when I forget)
Today I googled tater tots , due to my laziness it is not even the first time it has been presented in a mnemonic
tater croquettes is what I would call them (well I would probably call them potato croquettes but that does not work the the mnemonic
Iām guessing this is several layers more crazy for you multi lingual peeps, hats off to you!
I totally get that tater tots are a āwhatā¦is thatā thing for people out of the US (including me) and I just know this because of that episode in Friends where Joey asked for Tater Tots or else it wonāt be āThanksgiving-yā
Also, that absolutely works for your mnemonic but I just wanna make sure Iām not missing out on some food knowledge: potato croquettes are mashed potatoes then breaded and friedā¦while I think tater tots are shredded potatoes that are shaped then fried? Or do you have croquettes in your country where you do this (which I would love to know about by the way!!)?
So I think theyāre closer to 'tato latkes butā¦yāknow. Tot-shaped.
Iāve also seen them called āPotato Gemsā on the interwebz. The blog I saw it on was run by an Aussie, but it could be used in other dialects as well (but definitely not American English)
Ah, I just realized we also have a form of tater tots in my country, but canāt remember whether they have a specific name. Probably something akin to potato croquettes. Theyāre pretty good when done with seasoning or some extras inside!
For an entire podcast episode on the history & more of tater tots, google āsavor podcast tater totsā
Hopefully this link to the episode works: The Chaotic Tater Tot Episode - Savor | iHeart Episode description: āThese beloved, nostalgic shredded potato nuggets started simply as a way to save french fry scraps from going to waste. Anney and Lauren explore the science, history, and culture of tots.ā
Past episodes cover most foods you can think of, including baked beans, blueberries, empanadas, cocktails, candies & fictional foods like butterbeer.
Honestly had a hard time with these mnemonics because I had never heard of tater tots in my life before wanikani. It didnāt stick for many months because thereās no memory anchored to this food in my mind but one day it just clicked and now itās okay-ish when I have tater tots mnemonics.
Had the same problem with kooties btw
As a non-native English speaker, I have to usually google a lot of the words, but hey, IāĀ”m not only learning Japanese but also broadening my English vocabulary, 2 for 1!!!
It is true it sometimes makes it harder to remember, but others it might even make it easier if it kind of strikes me.
but I just wanna make sure Iām not missing out on some food knowledge: potato croquettes are mashed potatoes then breaded and friedā¦while I think tater tots are shredded potatoes that are shaped then fried? Or do you have croquettes in your country where you do this (which I would love to know about by the way!!)? 
butā¦yāknow. Tot-shaped.
(this reminded me of a certain anime)
