Oh dear. What will the Obamas eat?

[babylonsister]

Bay Area foodies ask: What will the Obamas eat?

Stacy Finz, Chronicle Staff Writer

Saturday, January 17, 2009


On Tuesday, Barack Obama and his family will take up residence in the White House. He's already picked important members of his Cabinet: secretary of state, attorney general, director of the CIA, defense secretary.

But, in the Bay Area, where food is discussed with the same passion as politics, the real hot topic is: What is he going to eat?

Rack of lamb was Hillary Rodham Clinton's go-to meal. President Bill Clinton would have been happy with barbecued ribs every night of the week. Daughter Chelsea loved her Kraft mac and cheese, no matter how hard the White House chef tried to convert her to homemade. President Bush was up front: no soup, no salads, no greens and no "wet fish" - a real head scratcher for the White House chef. Unlike her husband, Laura Bush was crazy for healthful foods, especially organics.

Everyone from Berkeley restaurateur and slow food guru Alice Waters to Gourmet magazine top editor Ruth Reichl has weighed in on how the Obamas should eat and who should run their kitchen. Waters, founder of Chez Panisse, even sent the president-elect a letter, offering her services as well as Reichl's and those of New York restaurateur Danny Meyer in choosing a White House chef.

Obama politely declined, said Waters, who added demurely, "I don't want to go where I'm not wanted."

The Obamas have decided to keep the current chef, Cristeta Comerford, who has been part of the White House kitchen staff since the Clinton administration, rising to the rank of executive chef under Laura Bush. The Obamas, who have two young daughters, like the idea that Comerford, the first woman ever to head up the kitchen at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., is also a parent.

"I appreciate our shared perspective on the importance of healthy eating and healthy families," soon-to-be first lady Michelle Obama has said.

So how does Comerford prepare for a new first family bound to have different tastes than its predecessors?

more...

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/17/MN3J15BRTM.DTL

[my2sense]

1. Interesting article -thanks for posting

although its made me hungry.

:hi:

[charlie and algernon]

2. "no wet fish"????

the hell?

I'd love to have my own personal chef, he could make whatever he wanted and I'd eat it. You can limit a chef like that.

[Chulanowa]

6. Wet fish probably means fish that's still juicy, or is braised as opposed to fried, etc

In other words Bush would go for fish and chips, but not baked salmon. At least that's my guess

[azurnoir]

3. delete dupe

[azurnoir]

4. Michelle Obama

likes Caribbean food wonder if they'll be doing roti at the White House, good stuff.

[snowbear]

7. Ok azurnoir..

.
.

Roti? ..What is it?

~ ~ ~


Obama unwinds with Yuengling, America's oldest beer (from Huffington Post Oct. 08)

[Muttocracy]

10. I know Roti as East Indian bread (very yummy)

didn't know it was in Caribbean food too:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roti

[azurnoir]

11. It is both East Indian and Caribbean

lots of cross over between the two cuisines but I have had several varieties filled with spicy chicken or curried vegetables and lentils it is really yummy I have it at a local Jamaican restaurant want to learn to make it my self

[snowbear]

12. Thanks azurnoir and Joeisoneofus!

.
.

Azurnoir.. I went to Jamaica a couple of years ago (Montego Bay) but didn't try that.

Incredible food there though and =zow= is the rum there STRONG!

I went from not feeling like dancing one night.. to winding up in a dancing contest with two local guys after my third drink..

I wonder if we won?

[azurnoir]

13. Sounds like fun and you're welcome n/t

[comrade snarky]

15. I'll eat anything if you jerk it

Wait... That didn't sound right.

[gblady]

5. that was interesting....

thanks for sharing.

[backscatter712]

8. I'll bet the White House chef will be pleased to do some real cooking...

IIRC, Bush would only eat four things for lunch - a BLT, a grilled cheese sandwich, a peanut-butter and honey sandwich and a cheeseburger.

That's it. Bush had all the culinary sophistication of a four-year-old.

[babylonsister]

14. I bet the chefs in the white house are tickled pink to get

rid of that little man. I've read about his lunch menu. He's so incurious, boring, predictable, no challenges there.

[backscatter712]

18. From what I remember...

The White House cooking staff makes sure to have all four of the above dishes prepared for every lunch - Bush will order one of the four, then when it is served, he'll send it back and demand one of the others.

God, I'll be glad to see that insufferable prick out of the Oval Office!

[firedupdem]

9. Interesting article. I'm glad the lady chef kept her job! n/t

[smalll]

16. OMG! He snubbed Alice Waters, just like he snubbed Howard Dean! ---

Alice Waters -(the original latte-liberal Foodie Queen: ) "I don't go to where I'm not wanted."

Jimmy Dean "He would have changed his travel plans." -- CHANGED HIS TRAVEL PLANS! Oh, the humanity!


The fact that Obama won't immediately commit to high-end local organic foodstuffs cooked exclusively by world-class chefs -- is just another reason to impeach! The articles (of impeachment) keep piling up, day after day:

I: Sanjay Gupta for the all-important, highly powerful office of Surgeon-General.
II: Rick Warren for the all-important, highly poweful office of giving some random prayer at a key point in the day-long Inauguration festivities.
III: Snubbing Dean.
IV: Snubbing Alice Waters.
V: Not throwing Israel under the bus.
VI: Saying, in response to a direct question, that Bush is a "good guy."
VII: Spending money on the Inauguration (who does he think he is?!?!)
IX: Planning to move into the White House (who does he think he is?!?! - "I don't care for the columns.")
X: The Labradoodle
XI: Beyonce
XII: Not renouncing and cursing tobacco as the agent of Satan in public.
XIII: Meeting cons for dinner, then libs around the conference table -- WITHOUT EVEN GIVING THEM EGG MCMUFFINS!

etc. etc. etc.--

[gauguin57]

17. I just figured out why Georgie made all those bad decisions ... he didn't have enough fiber!

"...no soup, no salads, no greens..."

He was probably too constipated to think straight!