State Dinner Menu Inspired by First Lady's 'Kitchen Garden'

[bigtree]

March 14, 2012


Michelle Obama speaks to school girls during a press preview of the table setting for the State Dinner with U.S. President Barack Obama and David Cameron in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington March 14, 2012. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts


WHITE House Executive Chef Cris Comerford touted First Lady Michelle Obama’s “1,700 square foot” vegetable garden as the “inspiration” behind the menu for tonight’s State Dinner with British Prime Minister David Cameron, at a preview of the event at the White House on Wednesday.

Comerford also said the garden, which has long been a promotion for Mrs. Obama’s healthy eating campaign, is incorporated into the daily meals for the First Family.

“Our menu takes its inspiration from our kitchen garden -- one of Mrs. Obama’s great projects that she’s done in the house is that wonderful garden that we have in the South Lawn,” said Comerford when detailing the menu, which will feature braised baby kale and a salad from the garden.

“It was about 900-square feet to begin with, now it’s a spot about 1,700-square feet and we’ve grown so much vegetables through there and it’s pretty much the vast of what we’re serving dinner tonight takes its inspiration from what’s going on there,” she said.

“And even though it’s winter time in Washington, D.C., although it’s been 70 degrees outside, we have been growing our own vegetables -- the salad will be taken from the garden,” Comerford added. “We have kale that will be served in the first course that’s also taken from the garden.”


read: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/white-house-chef-michelles-1700-sq-ft-kitchen-garden-was-inspiration-state-dinner-menu

[juajen]

1. I really love this woman's style!

[dballance]

2. Setting a GOOD example

I grew up on a farm so we grew all our own vegetables and canned them for the winter. So this is not a shock to me. It is a nice example of showing people how to live with the land.

Cudos to Mrs. Obama.

Can't wait to see how the right spins it as such a horrible socialist, communist, evil liberal plot that she is growing a garden.

[freshwest]

4. The right attacked her early on for this. The Limbaugh crowd mocked it as the 'watermelon' patch,

Republicans said the 'Gummint' was coming to force vegetables down everyone's throat with the Obama Youth Corps and endlessly discussed Michelle's rump. By June of 2009, the GOP media machine went after this garden:

...No sooner had the garden been announced than a letter addressed to Mrs. Barack Obama arrived at the East Wing from an organization that represents companies selling chemical pesticides and fertilizers. The Mid America CropLife Association, an agribusiness media group, urged the first lady to give conventional agriculture equal time. Referring to chemicals the group euphemistically called “crop protection products,” the letter said not only are such nonorganic techniques necessary, but their safety is also “supported by sound scientific research and innovation....

...To be sure that Obama got the message that she should be using synthetic pesticides in the garden, the association began an online letter-writing campaign.

The White House never responded.

But the blogosphere has had a field day with the letter. And it was nothing compared with the fun Jon Stewart had on “The Daily Show.”

Stewart’s mischievous staff persuaded a spokesman for the American Council on Science and Health, a group that accepts corporate funding from Coca-Cola, Kellogg’s and PepsiCo and generally sides with industries’ positions on health and environmental hazards, to be interviewed about the White House garden. The correspondent: comedian Samantha Bee.

In the recent segment, titled “Little Crop of Horrors,” the narrator said that “this seemingly harmless, 20-by-50-foot token gesture has created a firestorm.”

Bee interviewed Jeffrey Stier, associate director of the council, who referred to the Obamas as “organic limousine liberals.”

“I think the Obama garden should come with a warning label,” he continued. “It’s irresponsible to tell people that you should have to eat organic and locally grown food. Not everyone can afford that. That’s a serious public health concern.”

His reasoning: “People are going to eat fewer fruits and vegetables. Cancer rates will go up. Obesity rates will go up. I think if we decide to eat only locally grown food, we’re going to have a lot of starvation.”

...Starvation and obesity simultaneously...


http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=EDA85CA3-18FE-70B2-A8E4E483E6CB6C2D

And Obama hadn't even been in office six months by that time.

[jsmirman]

13. I mean, my God, if we're not killing our kids

we're not doing it right...

yes, they protested fruits and vegetables

a) because they are fucking morons and

b) because why should the party of voting against one's own interests not preach life as a suicide sport?

[freshwest]

14. I had a youtube video of a teabagger MD who was yelling...

In his clinics to his patients about how Obama was going to come to their house and force feed them fruits and vegetables if they voted Democrat.

I mean this was a doctor and he should have known better than that. The crazy is strong in this country.

Must be the water supply or constipation that's making them dizzy. I don't know what to do.

[jsmirman]

15. The horror, the horror

as if the greater crime isn't what the factory farm system is essentially "force" feeding them right now

[GoCubsGo]

7. They're attacking them on the wine choice instead.

CBS was whining about the cost of the wine this morning. OMG! OMG! They spent $85 a bottle! The horrors! Because we should be serving foreign dignitaries $2.69/bottle Winking Owl from Aldi.

No doubt that if they had served Dumbya cheap wine on his state visits, the very same people complaining now would be apoplectic.

[varelse]

3. Seeing this made my day :)

[lunatica]

5. Interesting choice of table cloth, napkin and flower arrangement colors

I guess the staff are inspired by the First Lady's flair for color and pattern experimentation. I don't like the color combination but I applaud the effort to step outside the box.

[bigtree]

6. it's earthy

I like the splashes of color

[Scurrilous]

8. Thanks.

K & R

[WI_DEM]

9. and yet big mouth woman hating Rush L calls her fat!

[jillan]

10. This is probably the one thing I love most about her.

I have a kitchen garden as well - and there is nothing more satisfying to grow your own vegies and to know that you are giving your family fresh vegies without pesticides!!

The fact that she does this as well makes me love love love her.

[bigtree]

11. kick

[woo me with science]

12. I hope they give them a choice of with or without ammonium hydroxide.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002428029