Do you prefer chocolate or vanilla? Steak or chicken? Are you a carnivore or vegan? Kosher or ham-and-cheese?
Most people believe that you are what you eat. If that’s true then it’s very revealing when you look at U.S. Presidential Palates.
Some Presidents kept their food choices private – shared with White House chefs, family, and special visitors. Others spread the word, creating fads, aficionados, and news stories. Many became synonymous with their choices and others, well, they’re either fun, funny, or weird.
Jennifer Mathews wrote in Food Republic, “Just like a president’s policies, a POTUS’ food choice can impact the nation.”
Check out Ronald Reagan.
He decided to quit smoking and traded his pipe for jelly beans. During his two terms in office, Reagan ordered over 60 cases of jelly bellies (mini jelly beans) shipped to the White House each month. Over three tons were purchased for his 1981 inaugural festivities – in red (cherry), white (coconut), and blue (blueberry). The President made sure that jelly bellies were always available at important meetings. In 1983, Reagan gave the Challenger Astronauts a gift from his personal stash – the first jelly bellies in space. The President was known for his strategic insight, “you can tell a lot about a fella’s character by whether he picks out all of one color or just grabs a handful.”
He never smoked again.
Not all Presidential Palates were as appealing as jelly bellies. For example, imagine a stew made from the furry creatures with names like Chip ‘n Dale, Nutkin, and Screwy, that populate forests and cartoons. Both William Henry Harrison and James Garfield were known for their love of squirrel stew, a dish somewhat popular at the time. Harrison was infamous as the president with the longest inaugural speech and the shortest term, 32 days in office, before he died from pneumonia. James Garfield didn’t have much luck either – he was assassinated.
Maybe it was a squirrel conspiracy?
Similarly, William Taft, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Andrew Jackson loved their turtle soup. It was so popular that George Washington had included it in a farewell banquet for his Continental Army officers. The soup lost its popularity during Prohibition when chefs couldn’t add sherry to the recipe. Eventually laws protecting turtles were passed.
Mock turtle soup was never a White House hit.
Speaking of Thomas Jefferson, he was known as a foodie with a particular love for French cuisine. After he succeeded Benjamin Franklin as minister to France, Jefferson brought along his 19-year old slave, James Hemings, to learn the art of French cooking. When they returned stateside, Hemings brought a pasta machine from Naples and American mac ‘n cheese was born. Jefferson later freed Hemings.
There were also some very strange (weird) Presidential Palates. Woodrow Wilson was not a foodie. He added raw eggs to juice for a “healthy” breakfast. Richard Nixon ate cottage cheese topped with ketchup. Bill Clinton loved Coca Cola salad, Andrew Johnson dined on Hoppin’ John (peas and rice), and Andrew Jackson downed Leather Britches (green beans and bacon).
Legend says that Ole George Washington cracked nuts with his teeth – a habit, he claimed, led to the loss of his teeth. When he was inaugurated, he only had one tooth left in his mouth and wore dentures.
Perhaps that’s why he never smiled?
Today we still eat versions of Mamie Eisenhower’s “Million Dollar fudge” beloved by her husband, Dwight Eisenhower. A copy of the recipe is in the archives of the Eisenhower Presidential Center.
More recent Presidents are mostly fast-foodies. Obama can’t get enough nachos and Joe Biden loves his ice cream. Who can forget Donald Trump’s memorable White House “feast” served to the Clemson Tigers, National Football Champions?
There were fast food burgers, chicken nuggets, and pizza on silver platters. The fries were served in paper cups printed with the presidential seal. “It’s all American stuff,” Trump explained.
Obama’s White House M&Ms was already a Presidential tradition.
Consider this – if you are what you eat what does this say about our Leaders of the Free World? What does it say about you?
Maybe it’s time to vote with your fork.
Very, very interesting… Food choices can certainly say a lot about a person. Very interesting about Reagan and the jelly bellies, and Thomas Jefferson’s culinary adventures. I don’t think I will imitate George Washington and crack nuts with my teeth, however- that never seems like a good idea. What an intriguing article!