White House meals

Factual Questions
1

I had a weird dream the other night about living in the White House (basically, Mr. Ivylass was president and in order to save taxpayer money he fired the housekeeping staff and I as First Lady was going to have to clean the entire building by myself) and I started thinking about life in the White House, namely, eating.

How do meals work? When the Prez and FL sit down for dinner are they given a menu, or do they decide a week ahead of time what the meals will be for the week? Can the sitting Prez ban a certain food from the table for preference or allergy reasons? Can the FL wander down to the kitchen at 2am and make herself a peanut butter jelly sandwich?

I know it’s rare that the Prez in eating in the residence every night, what with fundraisers and meetings, but what happens when he is home?

2

There was a show about the white house on TV a while back (maybe a year or so?). Apparently the secret service goes out to random grocery stores in the MD/DC/VA area and buys the food (if you are in this area you could be standing in line next to the guy/gal buying food for the prez and you would never know it). It is then prepared by chefs who are part of the loyal white house staff. I can’t remember if it was on this TV show or if it was just a news article, but I do recall that when Bill Clinton went into the white house, he found the menu a bit too rich and had them change it to more common types of foods. The implication was that he had control over the menu, but did not get involved in the day to day selection of what came on his plate.

The white house has a huge staff. You are going to be very busy.

3

I’ve heard of at least one president that would make visits to the kitchen and have the chef fix his favorite snack.

4

I can’t find any kind of “Life in the White House” cite offhand, but here is what I’ve culled from the various sorts of Parade-type magazine stories I’ve read over the years.

The White House is run like a private residence, with a staff of cooks, housekeepers, maids, etc. The kitchen has an executive chef in charge, with a whole platoon of other chefs under him, and the First Lady (and the Mister, if he’s so inclined) consults with him on menus, exactly the way she (or they) would if they were living in a big fancy house anywhere else. He cooks for them, not for the People of the United States of America, so if the Prez hates broccoli, broccoli doesn’t appear on the menu (at least, until the Broccoli Growers Association hears about it, in which case it abruptly makes an appearance).

Menu choices for elaborate state dinners require more consultation with various etiquette and dietary advisers than do family suppers. And if the Prez hates broccoli, but the Broccoli Growers Association is coming to dinner, then broccoli appears on the menu, and he’s expected to at least taste it (and without making faces, too, thank you very much…)

The White House chefs (plural) are also responsible for tasks like making thousands of hard-boiled Easter eggs for the White House Easter Egg hunt. Lucky them. :smiley:

If the Prez wants a PBJ in the middle of the night, he is perfectly at liberty to go down to the kitchen and make it himself–if he cares to brave the wrath of the Executive Chef. Most Executive Chefs are notoriously territorial about their kitchens and would prefer that the Family stay out of them, and let a staff member fix the sandwich. At least he knows the Staff Member will know better than to leave a peanut butter knife laying out on the counter… :smiley:

There is a private dining room, as well as a state dining room, which can seat 130 people.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids/tour/dining.html
During the first few months of the Clinton White House, it seemed like all we heard about was “what’s cooking at the White House”. Bill Clinton was fairly characterized as a “big hungry boy”, and I particularly remember the news accounts of a February 1993 lunch he hosted for members of the media at which cheeseburgers were served, and afterwards Tom Brokaw (I think) remarked, in awe, “He ate everything but the drapes…” :smiley:

And if you’re really, really bored this morning, you can plow your way through the incredibly banal Barbara Walters/Laura Bush Christmas interview from last Christmas and see if she says anything about the food at the White House.

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/2020/DailyNews/2020_bushes_iv4_011203.html

Me, I have to go watch some paint dry… :smiley:

5

Thanks Duck Duck Goose…most insightful!!

6

IIRC my history, Harry Truman liked to hang in the kitchen, which at first quite startled the staff.

7

I know that when Queen Elizabeth II comes to Australia, she naturally enough, brings a huge number of staff with her to take care of her every whim. Yet she likes to be able to make her own tea, and will insist on having an electric kettle in her room for her own use.

And you can’t tell me that Dubya doesn’t like to order a pizza now and then.

When former New Zealand Prime Minister David Lange came to power, his private number was still in the phone book. now, that was cool.

8

DDG- Informative post, thanks!

Just one question- You read Parade?

9

Courtesy of George Herbert Walker Bush (10/12/92) discussing food in the White House…

“On the question of the North American Free Trade Agreement, Governor Clinton was first for it and then against it. Now he’s for it again. They do not serve waffles in the Oval Office.”