# What do they serve the Obamas when they attend state dinners in other countries?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-serve-the-obamas-when-they-attend-state-dinners-in-other-countries/540097
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [May 20, 2010, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-serve-the-obamas-when-they-attend-state-dinners-in-other-countries/540097 "2010-05-20T03:15:37Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2010, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-serve-the-obamas-when-they-attend-state-dinners-in-other-countries/540097/1 "2010-05-20T03:15:37Z")
Someone posted this question in the comments section of a story about the state dinner for Felipe Calderon tonight, and it made me curious.
At the White House, they brought in Rick Bayless who made mole and ceviche. When the Obamas (or any other POTUS for that matter) travel abroad, are they served American food and if so what kind.
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### Author:  [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2010, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-serve-the-obamas-when-they-attend-state-dinners-in-other-countries/540097/2 "2010-05-20T03:20:05Z")
In Canada we [served him](http://www.forks.ca/barack-obamas-canadian-lunch-menu-on-parliament-hill-in-ottawa-028770.php):
- Pacific Coast tuna with a chilli and citrus vinaigrette
- Maple and miso cured Nunavut Arctic char
- Lightly pickled vegetables and an organic beet relish
- Applewood smoked plains bison
- Winter root vegetables and local mushrooms
- Cauliflower and rosemary puree
- Juniper and Niagara red wine jus
- Saugeen yogurt pot de creme with a lemon and lavender syrup
- Wild blueberry and partridgeberry compote
- Acadian buckwheat honey and sumac tuile
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### Author:  [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2010, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-serve-the-obamas-when-they-attend-state-dinners-in-other-countries/540097/3 "2010-05-20T06:53:44Z")
> [@Leaffan](#):
>
> - Maple and miso cured Nunavut Arctic char
That sounds interesting. Anyone ever had maple & miso cured fish? What’s in the “maple”?
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2010, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-serve-the-obamas-when-they-attend-state-dinners-in-other-countries/540097/4 "2010-05-20T07:18:16Z")
> [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](#):
>
> What’s in the “maple”?
I’m going to guess maple syrup.
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### Author:  [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2010, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-serve-the-obamas-when-they-attend-state-dinners-in-other-countries/540097/5 "2010-05-20T08:56:35Z")
Entire WAG, but I’d assume that they send a menu ahead to him of a few things they can do before he comes and he picks something. If it’s a banquet or something, I’d presume that a kitchen would pick a few innocuous dishes from various regions and serve that, maybe asking the staff of the various regions what’s commonly served in their area, then looking through that to see what they think they could cook, or alternately inviting in local foreign-trained chefs to oversee a few dishes.
I once attended a banquet in Russia to a bunch of CEOs from the US and the food was basic French cuisine, but it was fairly obvious that their refrigerator had broken down the day before. The food was pretty rancid. But even a nice banquet can still turn out pretty funky just because. I suspect that even the President of the US has been served pretty nasty stuff on the occasion.
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### Author:  [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2010, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-serve-the-obamas-when-they-attend-state-dinners-in-other-countries/540097/6 "2010-05-20T09:31:51Z")
Why would the hosts of a visiting potentate serve him/her/it food from his homeland? They surely would like to show their own culture.
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### Author:  [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2010, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-serve-the-obamas-when-they-attend-state-dinners-in-other-countries/540097/7 "2010-05-20T11:08:23Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#):
>
> I suspect that even the President of the US has been served pretty nasty stuff on the occasion.
It’s been credited to an over-enthusiastic game of tennis with the Emperor of Japan, but I’ve always wondered if the food at the state banquet contributed to the [Bushu-suru](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_H._W._Bush_vomiting_incident).
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### Author:  [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2010, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-serve-the-obamas-when-they-attend-state-dinners-in-other-countries/540097/8 "2010-05-20T13:10:00Z")
Fried chicken, collard greens and watermelon I guess.
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### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2010, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-serve-the-obamas-when-they-attend-state-dinners-in-other-countries/540097/9 "2010-05-20T14:12:50Z")
I assume that the protocol offices communicate any special dietary needs ahead of time. For example, I believe that George W Bush didn’t drink alcohol, so presumably they made other arrangements for toasts and for state dinners.
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### Author:  [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2010, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-serve-the-obamas-when-they-attend-state-dinners-in-other-countries/540097/10 "2010-05-20T14:15:38Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#):
>
> Fried chicken, collard greens and watermelon I guess.
Are those halal?
😉
Regards,
Shodan
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### Author:  [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2010, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-serve-the-obamas-when-they-attend-state-dinners-in-other-countries/540097/11 "2010-05-20T14:20:06Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#):
>
> Fried chicken, collard greens and watermelon I guess.
My gawd, you got balls. Made me giggle.
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### Author:  [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2010, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-serve-the-obamas-when-they-attend-state-dinners-in-other-countries/540097/12 "2010-05-20T14:32:52Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#):
>
> It’s been credited to an over-enthusiastic game of tennis with the Emperor of Japan, but I’ve always wondered if the food at the state banquet contributed to the [Bushu-suru](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_H._W._Bush_vomiting_incident).
An amusing piece of circularity:
I followed your link to see where it went (Wikipedia). There was a link on the vomiting Bush page that went to Wikipedia’s “Jimmy Carter rabbit incident” page. That page made reference to a cartoon of the incident that parodied the “Jaws” poster, but was labeled “Paws” instead. The inline citation on the cartoon went to … the Straight Dope!
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### Author:  [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2010, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-serve-the-obamas-when-they-attend-state-dinners-in-other-countries/540097/13 "2010-05-20T14:44:32Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#):
>
> Fried chicken, collard greens and watermelon I guess.
Only when he goes to Japan.
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### Author:  [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2010, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-serve-the-obamas-when-they-attend-state-dinners-in-other-countries/540097/14 "2010-05-20T15:06:01Z")
> [@Leaffan](#):
>
> In Canada we [served him](http://www.forks.ca/barack-obamas-canadian-lunch-menu-on-parliament-hill-in-ottawa-028770.php):
>
> - Pacific Coast tuna with a chilli and citrus vinaigrette
> - Maple and miso cured Nunavut Arctic char
> - Lightly pickled vegetables and an organic beet relish
> - Applewood smoked plains bison
> - Winter root vegetables and local mushrooms
> - Cauliflower and rosemary puree
> - Juniper and Niagara red wine jus
> - Saugeen yogurt pot de creme with a lemon and lavender syrup
> - Wild blueberry and partridgeberry compote
> - Acadian buckwheat honey and sumac tuile
If I start heading north now,will you have this ready for me upon my arrival? It sounds fantastic!
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### Author:  [@tagos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagos)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2010, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-serve-the-obamas-when-they-attend-state-dinners-in-other-countries/540097/15 "2010-05-20T15:14:08Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#):
>
> I assume that the protocol offices communicate any special dietary needs ahead of time. For example, I believe that George W Bush didn’t drink alcohol, so presumably they made other arrangements for toasts and for state dinners.
I read recently that the White House chefs prepare the President’s food even at state banquets abroad for security.
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2010, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-serve-the-obamas-when-they-attend-state-dinners-in-other-countries/540097/16 "2010-05-20T15:29:01Z")
> [@tagos](#):
>
> I read recently that the White House chefs prepare the President’s food even at state banquets abroad for security.
I think that would be a grave insult to the host country. I don’t doubt the Secret Service has people in the kitchen during prep, but I doubt they require WH chefs do the prep.
- **silenus** , who loves fried chicken, collards and watermelon
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### Author:  [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2010, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-serve-the-obamas-when-they-attend-state-dinners-in-other-countries/540097/17 "2010-05-20T15:37:15Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#):
>
> If I start heading north now,will you have this ready for me upon my arrival? It sounds fantastic!
Google tells me it’s only a 13 hour drive from Hidden Valley, IN. Would you settle for a barbecued burger and a beer?
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### Author:  [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2010, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-serve-the-obamas-when-they-attend-state-dinners-in-other-countries/540097/18 "2010-05-20T15:52:07Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#):
>
> Fried chicken, collard greens and watermelon I guess.
[Fuzzy Zoeller!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ufpU3X-t4w) Welcome to the Dope!
Cecil has spoken on a related subject before. [“Does the President have an official food taster?”](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2772/does-the-president-have-an-official-food-taster)
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### Author:  [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2010, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-serve-the-obamas-when-they-attend-state-dinners-in-other-countries/540097/19 "2010-05-20T15:54:55Z")
> [@Telemark](#):
>
> I’m going to guess maple syrup.
We can do astonishing things with maple syrup\*. Maple syrup in peppermint tea. Maple-drenched salmon. Yams in maple…
[sub]\*and applesauce, as my old girlfriend and I found out…[/sub]
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### Author:  [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2010, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-serve-the-obamas-when-they-attend-state-dinners-in-other-countries/540097/20 "2010-05-21T11:18:39Z")
> [@tagos](#):
>
> I read recently that the White House chefs prepare the President’s food even at state banquets abroad for security.
> [@silenus](#):
>
> I think that would be a grave insult to the host country. I don’t doubt the Secret Service has people in the kitchen during prep, but I doubt they require WH chefs do the prep.
If the visiting potentate holds a reciprocal dinner then no doubt he/she brings a chef to supervise the cooking, but otherwise I agree with silenius, it would be a grave insult to the host.
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