"barack obama" news and stories

Photo: Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com, Flickr

Of all the ink spilled about last week's notorious Beer Summit, in which President Obama, police sergeant James Crowley and Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates gathered at the White House for a brewski, none have been more hilarious than this Washington Post recap. Writer Dana Milbank not only sums up the media's "tipsy" coverage of the affair but suggests our commander in chief take a cue from American beer names to address other diplomacy issues.

To wit: Sen. John Ensign would be welcomed to the White House with a quaff of Horny Devil, a California brew, whereas "if a certain former Alaska governor tries to challenge Obama in 2012, he can pour her an Arctic Devil Barley Wine." An equal opportunity satirist, Milbank also takes down "hot-tempered chief of staff Rahm Emanuel" by suggesting he indulge in Permanently Pissed Off Pilsner.

How do you feel about President Obama's choice of Bud Light -- a brew owned by a Belgian conglomerate -- for sipping?



[Via The Washingon Post]

During their trip to New York this weekend, the Obamas dined at Blue Hill. To gastronomes in the New York metropolitan area, Blue Hill has long been synonymous with all things local, organic, humane, refined and good in the dining world.

So it was little surprise that bloggers and commentators jumped all over the Obama's choice of venue, analyzing the meaning and the message of their meal. Frank Bruni opined on the New York Times' Diner's Journal blog that Blue Hill was "the proper ethical call, the proper message to send, the proper restaurant segue from the planting of the White House garden."

But Blue Hill, as Bruni also pointed out, happens to be one of New York's most critically lauded restaurants, so it's not as if the Obamas were exactly sacrificing pleasure for politics.

Still, out of the many, many high-end restaurants that the Obamas could have chosen to patronize, there are relatively few that are so closely associated with the kind of sustainable and progressive eating that the First Lady championed with the planting of the White House garden.

The pick appears to be further evidence of the research that the Obamas have seemingly put into their food choices -- and further evidence of the food world's willingness to analyze the President's every bite, be it of hamburger, chili, or, yes, an impeccably fresh and impeccably local carrot.

While many comparisons have been drawn between Barack Obama and Abraham Lincoln, I am eager to offer up what I am convinced will be the absolute silliest. Like the venerable Mr. Lincoln, Obama has already become a lightning rod for the advice of young children. A recent New York Times article highlighted several letters, most of which focused on bold initiatives for the young President. One, however, offered dietary advice for Obama:

Dear Barack Obama,
You look too skinny.
You should eat more food.
This is what you should eat:

1. Pizza
2. Ice Cream
3. Butter Popcorn
4. Cupcakes
5. Hamburgers
6. French Fries
7. Hot Dogs
8. Hot Chocolate
9. Cookies
10. Cotton Candy

from,

Jayme

While not quite as eloquent as Grace Bedell's admonition that then-candidate Abraham Lincoln needed to "let your whiskers grow," Jayme's succinct, thoughtful suggestion was nonetheless clear and concrete. What's more, it seems to have caught Obama's attention: a recent National Geographic documentary captured him ordering a burger on Air Force One.

As we noted a couple of weeks ago, Ben and Jerry's recently sought to harness the idealistic fervor of Barack Obama's supporters by renaming their butter pecan ice cream "Yes, Pecan!" To the company's credit, it has agreed to donate all of the profits from the sale of this flavor to Common Cause, a voting advocacy group. While I am not a huge fan of Unilever, the current owners of Ben and Jerry's, and have numerous problems with the additives that started creeping into the ice cream after it sold out in 2000, I have to admit that this seems to be a well-intentioned (if transparently exploitative) move.

My cousin, Cathryn Michon, aka The Grrl Genius, is a great deal less cynical than me. Moreover, she has a definite skill when it comes to adding sweet ingredients to each other; consequently, I advise prefacing this recipe with a nice big shot of insulin. Enjoy!


Smoking Hot Fudge Barack Obama "Yes, Pecan!" Inaugural Sundae

Two Scoops of Ben and Jerry's "Yes, Pecan" ice cream (or any brand of butter pecan ice cream)
1/4 cup candied pecans
1/2 cup Godiva hot fudge (or brand of your choice)
1/2 cup whipped cream
1 George Washington honorary Maraschino cherry
1/4 ounce dark rum
Hawaiian orchid (for garnish)

Warm hot fudge according to package directions and pour over the ice cream. Place the pecans decoratively on the sides of the sundae and lay the decorative orchid at the base of the serving dish. Spoon on a generous serving of the whipped cream, creating a trough in the whipped cream that resembles the cone of a live Hawaiian volcano. Set the cherry in the trough and fill with dark rum. Set the rum on fire with either a long match or a butane lighter to symbolize our smoking hot new President and the sweet hope that will sustain us in all the days to come.

Serves one happy world citizen!

What's that sound? Corks a-popping from shore to shore? No doubt bubbly was the beverage du jour for many folks, but mixologists both pro and amateur took it upon themselves to create signature beverages for the election and inauguration of our 44th President. When tasked with that for a friend's bash, I put some thought into the national origins of each element, so that they might match those of our new Commander-In-Chief. With a bit of tinkering, a new and semi-perfect union was formed -- The Barry O.

The Barry-O

Equal parts cocoa powder and sugar
1 1/2 oz Amarula
1 oz bourbon
1/4 oz Kona coffee liqueur (I like Trader Vic's)

Dampen the edge of a cocktail glass, and roll in a blend of equal parts sugar and cocoa powder.

Shake Amarula, bourbon and coffee liqueur with ice to blend and strain into the prepared glass.

Note: Amarula is an African cream liqueur made from the fruit of the Marula tree. Bourbon is a distinctively American whiskey, named for, and largely produced in Kentucky's Bourbon County. Coffee designated as Kona can only come from the Kona District of the Big Island of Hawaii.

Africa, America & Hawaii - all with a li'l dash of chocolate.


So - whatcha sip to celebrate (or drown your sorrows) this historic night? Share it in the comments.