Flashback: More Obamessiah fancy foodie follies
[Guest Post by See-Dubya]
I think Michelle’s on to something with her Cheesesteakgate post below. Not only did Obama turn down a chance to eat regular-people food with regular people, he instead went nibbling on dainty imports at a Dainty Food Store:
During a half-hour tour of the market, Obama sampled wares at Claudio Specialty Food and DiBruno Brothers – where he noshed on a Spanish ham that retails for $99.99 a pound.
Staff at DiBruno’s told him the ham only recently became available because it was previously barred by the FDA.
Fine by me. We Republicans don’t mind a bit of conspicuous consumption now and then; it means the economy’s working. Hey, this is some depression we’re in if they’re still moving ham for a hundred bucks a pound.
But here’s the thing: Obama’s done this food snob routine before, this summer in Iowa. Even the New York Times noted it going down like a ton of bricks:*
One line that landed a little flat, though, was when Mr. Obama sympathetically noted that farmers have not seen an increase in prices for their crops, despite a rise in prices at the supermarket.
“Anybody gone into Whole Foods lately and see what they charge for arugula?” the senator said. “I mean, they’re charging a lot of money for this stuff.”
The state of Iowa, for all of its vast food production, does not have a Whole Foods, a leading natural and organic foods market. The closest? Omaha, Minneapolis or Kansas City.
Mr. Obama, perhaps sensing a lack of reaction from the crowd, moved along to the next topic.
Let’s face it: Senator Obama likes to live high on the hog–right up to the $99.99 Spanish ham. Just like the Kennedys he emulates:
Or how about Sargent Shriver? While he was the Democratic party’s 1972 vice presidential candidate, Shriver wandered into a bar in New Hampshire and said: “Beer for the boys, and I’ll have a Courvoisier.”
P.S. I don’t think you’d have this problem with Hillary. I think she’d eat a plate of locally-grown live leeches for a good photo-op, and smile that chilling smile and cackle.
*I saw that originally at Michael Bates’s blog. He dubbed it “Typical Liberal Arugulance“.
UPDATE: I am reminded that Michael Dukakis made a similar gaffe back in 1988, urging Iowa farmers to diversify their crops and grow “Belgian Endive”. SNL had some fun with that in one of their spoof Democratic Debates:
Pat Schroeder: Well.. [ starts to cry, but then breaks out into hysterical laughter ] Okay! Alright.. Now.. Governor Dukakis, your critics are doubting your ability to translate the Massachusetts Miracle to the rest of the nation. When you first came to Iowa, you suggested that the farmers try growing a different crop.. and you cited as your example, Belgian endive. Do you still feel that Belgian endive still is the answer to Iowa’s economy?
Michael Dukakis: Pat, each of us here tonight is asking for America’s leadership and trust, allowing us to lead the country. And I don’t think you can lead without a vision.. and I have a vision for America. I see purple mountains of radicchio; I see wooded valleys of arugula; I see escarole from sea to shining.. [ timer sounds ] ..sea. I know I’m running out of time, so let me conclude that with direction, purpose, a little oil and vinegar, and maybe some feta cheese, there is nothing we cannot do. Thank you.
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As a former Whole Foods seafood clerk and demo cook, I can help anyone here out with fish recipes. Why just yesterday I made some great low fat fish tacos with baked turbot.
Also yummy: Peppered tuna steak in a citrus wine sauce and pan fried sole stuffed with crab cakes.
I’m here to help!
“Anybody gone into Whole Foods lately and see what they charge for arugula?” the senator said. “I mean, they’re charging a lot of money for this stuff.”
That has to be the most elitest statement evahh…..what by the way is argula?
Rusty:
I knew it!
Can you hook me up with some of that fancy Obama ham?
$100 per lb for ham? That’s just wrong…..now if it were a good steak I may be able to understand!
No. Although I’d love to try a bite, I’m a firm believer in eating great at a reasonable cost. I will not spend over $10 a pound on steak or fish unless it’s a special occasion. $100 a pound is out of the question.
Splurging on beer though…that’s something different altogether. Bell’s Brewey came out with a limited edition Imperial Pale Ale called Hopslam. $20 for a 6-pack. Still wo4rth every penny.
Wonder if he also checked the price of caviar too.
I thought it was against Islam for mohamidans to eat pork.
Are you serious? Or just trying to be sarcastic?
No wonder Mrs. O was complaining that it’s tough to get by on $300,000 a year – she mentioned music and dance lessons (please tell me someone else sees that irony) – but left out the $100 ham sandwiches.
Rusty, was it the Whole Foods in DuPont Circle? I’ve been there…
“Are you serious? Or just trying to be sarcastic?”
Serious, why in the hell should I an all American meat and potatoes girl know and for that matter care what argula is?
Shouldn’t he be eating collard greens instead of argula? Cuz that’s white devil food!
Rusty, send me that peppered tuna recipe, please? just go to my website, http://www.healthinsuranceguy.net, and hit contact me. Thanks.
What is argula? That’s one vegatable I’ll bet even my wife doesn’t know, and, being Asian, she knows vegatables.
$100 for ham! I’d rather spend about 20 cents for a .30-’06 cartridge and shoot a deer.
No Philly Cheese steak?
Not American ham?
Ham that costs $100 per pound?
Must be next door to where Silky Pony Boy Edwards gets his $400 hair cut….
No Whole Foods w/in a days drive,i.e. hundreds of miles.
The “Uniter” is really quite divisive.
I suppose the arugula goes with the $99.99 per pound ham.
But, perhaps, he likes it for its amative qualities too?
Hubba! Hubba! Obama!
If she were Italian she’d know…
But even Michael Chertoff has never heard of it…
Fasternu–
Can we please watch the white devil/ collard green stuff? That is not somewhere I’d like this discussion to go.
What is Arugula?
No, I have never eaten it either.
Didn’t know what it was/is and still don’t care.
I will just have to vote against Obama with the knowledge that he is to ELITEST for my taste’s
Arugula’s actually pretty good. It’s like lettuce with taste to it. I’d rather have it than boring old iceberg lettuce any day.
And I don’t cook much, but one of my better quick recipes is pesto made out of arugula, olive oil, and parmesan cheese.
This thread’s making me hungry…
Jamón serrano (literally mountain ham) is a type of jamón (dry-cured Spanish ham), which is generally served raw in thin slices, similar to the Italian prosciutto. A foreleg prepared (and eaten) in the same manner is called paleta.
The majority of Serrano hams are made from Black Iberian Pigs, but are not to be confused with the much more expensive Jamón ibérico. These hams were known as a delicacy even in the days of the Roman Empire[1]. Though not expensive in Spain and the European Union, duties imposed on imported meats and exchange rates makes these hams more costly outside the Union. Where available, the meat can usually be purchased sliced, in chunks, or as a complete, bone-in ham
There are many producers of Spanish hams but the level of quality can be judged by the following:
The type of pig
The way the pig has been fed
The part of the pig used to make the ham
The way the ham is cured
The four major quality categories of cured ham are as follows, from highest to lowest quality:
Jamón Iberico de Bellota (also known as Jamón Iberico de Montanera): Free-range, acorn-fed Iberian pigs
Jamón Iberico de Recebo: Acorn, pasture and compound-fed Iberian pigs
Jamón Iberico: (also known as Jamón de Pata Negra). Compound-fed Iberian pigs. Pata negra (literally black hoof), which only accounts for about five percent of total ham production, is made from the Black Iberian Pig (cerdo ibérico). The best varieties of pata negra are range fed and fattened on acorns in cork oak groves along the southern border between Spain and Portugal. (see the two subcategories above)
Jamón Serrano: (also known as Jamón Reserva, Jamón Curado and Jamón Extra). Compound-fed white pigs. (Wiki)
I seen these pigs on Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern
I like arugala, though it’s hard to find at the commissary sometimes. But would Senator Obama eat Rocky Mountain Oysters? That’s the question on my mind.
I don’t know about the Italians but here in the South, there is only one part of the pig that is used to make a ham and that would be the hindquarters (i.e. the posterior end), commonly referred to as “the hams”. The front is “the shoulders” and the center as “the midlands”, the latter being the source of bacon, ribs, etc.
If you don’t tell him what they are he might. If they are too big for him, offer him some turkey oysters.
Everyone, arugula is a peppery type of lettuce green that they add to salads to give it more “umph”. I like it, it’s tasty.
I can’t stand his eating 99$ a pound pig. Let’s see, he’s supposed to be leftist yet he’s totally being hedonistic and elitist with his food…and with a horrible food at that. Blech.
How is knowing and liking arugula ELITIST? Is see-dubya then also an elitist (#20)?
I suppose anyone who can afford $99.99 a pound for ham can also afford $4,300 an hour with an escort.
Well I guess I’m just entirely too plebeian to appreciate gourmet ham or arugula….just give me a good old pig sandwich….Tennessee hickory smoked pork shoulder pulled off the bone with cole slaw and BBQ sauce…now THAT is haute cuisine where I grew up
Change, change? Change to $100 a pound ham? MY GAWD, this may be our next President?? How ugly can change possibly get?
Maybe I will have to vote McCain after all. This guy is even worse then the Clintons could ever dream to be.
CO, Barry – that reminds me of the punchline of an old joke(no need to send the whole thing): “Senor, sometimes the Bull wins.”
This isn’t a recipe thread, it’s about they hypocrite elitist savior that gets to have it both ways. He’s a man of the people for sure! Put a plate of pig feet in front of him and see what he really does!
Me thinks I foresee a possible ban in the near future, if you aren’t careful.
I guess I don’t get out enough because in my life it’s only the leftists who are effete about food, wine, plays, literature, etc.
The conservatives I know all have a good time yukking it up about how you could get those lemmings to gush about a cinder block if the NYT or LAT wrote a puff piece about it. Truly a group that needs constant direction from a “superior” being in the form of uber elitist journalists, government bureaucrats or people like the Goracle to get it “right”.
OMG I can just imagine the internal dissonance they are feeling with all the mixed signals they are getting from their liberal icons about the Dem candidates! Ha!
Aloha, I think you’re thinking of the Logan Circle Whole Foods. Either way, I worked in the Tenley branch.
Markvike, your link isn’t working so I’ll give you the quick and dirty version:
Take a think yellowfin tuna steak. Pepper it. Sautee it in oil (2 or 3 minutes per side depending on thickness) and take it out. Add orange juice, red wine, chopped garlic, and balsamic vinegar and simmer it on low. When it gets thicker, put the tuna back in for a minute or two.
The tuna ends up tasting like a much healthier version of red meat.
Banned for mentioning an “ethnic food” in relation to a black candidate?? Is it taboo to talk about a black candidate and say that he would probably turn his nose up at a plate of soul food, yet would gobble down $100.00 ham? Methinks you are too sensitive……. relax.
“How is knowing and liking arugula ELITIST? Is see-dubya then also an elitist (#20)?”
Here let me slow it down for you…..the argula is a smidgen of the elitest attitude…there would be the $99.00 per lb ham….there would be the not making enough for the dance lessons and music lesson….there would be the whole foods talk in a state where there are none….he is making excellent money and still his wife bitches…that is an ELITEST attitude….the food choices are because he makes that money and sniffs his nose at a good old fashioned cheesesteak….man got much attitude?
Like see-dubya, I like arugula. However, if M & B Obama are trying to be “just
one of you regular dimms, ” they do need lessons. My understanding of
political campaigning is, when in Philly, eat what they eat.
Surely there’s better stuff to rant about? Seriously, who cares what they eat? ..as long as it’s not human babies or something..
No anxiety or stress here. But, see-dubya has already given a complimentary caution (#17).
Obviously, the moderator does not condone “ethnic” intimations, so as not to cheapen the discourse.
“..as long as it’s not human babies or something..”
He’s not eating them yet but his policies for throwing them out if they survive the abortion process is just as sick!
So, how many cheese steaks can you get for 100 bucks? I’d rather have cheese steaks than 100 dollar ham, or gargaluba, or whatever that stuff is called.
Hmmm, much as I dislike Obama for many reasons his eating of soem expensive ham is not one of them that will drive me to the voting booth. For all we know he was handed soem food when he was touring and ate it before finding out the price? And even if he did eat it I fail to understand how suddenly he is horrible? he was horrible before the ham and will be horrible after the ham for our countyr…but as far as how much eating soem ham increased his horribleness to me…not one iota. There are too many REAL things to be worried about other than that.
Ok, somebody needs to acknowledge that Rusty has posted three times in a row in a manner that actually contributes.
Rusty, you get an attaboy!
Geee… folks… can’t believe you missed it…
$100 a lbs. Ham?
Doesn’t that just proove that Obama likes expensive PORK?
Barry, the fun is in the telling AFTER he eats them!
I recall with fond memories eating at a bar on “Fry” night, a mother and 6-year-old son sitting behind me. She put a plate of ‘oysters’ down in front of him, and when he asked what they were, she said, “They’re chicken nuggets, son, try ‘em.”
#44, I love ‘oysters’ and tried to fix them one time myself. Well, those suckers were flying all over the kitchen, they are slippery little things. I now eat them out when I can find them.
L
No Whole Foods in Iowa…of course not! Hy-Vee rules that state. I still have my old Hy-Vee boxcutter from when I worked there back in high school.
So the eating habits of a presidential candidates is something to get worked up about? The US Army awards a two year contract worth $298 million to a 22 year old and a 25 year old former massage therapist to be the principal supplier of munitions to the Afghanistan army and police. They supply ammunition that is decades old and is rusting. Michelle, how about spending time investigating something truely worthy of outrage? Obama might like his fancy ham, but sounds like someone in the Army has some crow to eat.
@#47
Total agreemen
Are we going to bash Obama because he has expensive taste in food? Just wondering, because I have a taste for expensive foods too (and would definitely try $99 ham if I had the expendable cash to do so).
Basically, what’s happening here is a collective looking down our noses at Obama, for engaging in behavior we see as looking down his nose at the nebulous ‘average American’. My hypocrisy meter is pinned.
Can we stick to REAL reasons he’s not a good choice for President please?
Except for all that Mercury.
(I love tuna though.)
Correct, I was thinking of Logan Circle, but don’t know DC well enough to differentiate.
More fake outrage. LOL!
Can’t believe that Drudge doesn’t put up a siren over this “scandal”.
We shop at Whole Foods once in a while as do millions of people in this country. Looking at their stores in development there appears to be a growing marketplace for natural and organic foods.
Yes. Only have it once a month and sorry breastfeeding mothers, pregnant mothers, and kids under six, but you’re all disqualified.
I seem to recall our former governor, M. Stanley Dukakis, recommending that Iowa plant Belgian endive…The expressions that greeted that suggestion must have resembled American Gothic.
Not that I have anything against endive, mind, but talk about a tin ear…
Guys, would you please read the post? I said it’s fine if you want to eat expensive ham. Jeeze, he didn’t even buy it, he just sampled it in a fancy food store. But don’t try to be all man-of-the-people salt-of-the-earth when you won’t eat a Philly cheesesteak and presume to bond with Iowans about “Wow, how about the price of arugula in Whole Foods?”
Totally OT here, but Drudge is now saying Clintons are reporting 109 million in income from her tax returns.
Dayyyyyyuuuummmm.
#55….Those Saudis and Chinese really do pay well don’t they?
Beat me to it.
I was just going to say, the whole “outrage” is NOT “outrage” about whether or not Barry O. ate some outrageously overpriced ham or not. What we find so worthy of comment is the fact that he just doesn’t get the point of camapigning. As I said before, eating steaks in Philly is as much a part of campaigning as eating breakfast in a greasy spoon in New Hampshire or kissing babies. Like it or not, IT’S A PART OF THE GAME.
And Barry O. proves time and time again that he doesn’t know how to play that part of the game. He’s a slick talker, but if you don’t “walk the walk”, you can “talk the talk” all you want to, but in the end not “walking the walk” will kill you.
And if you doubt that, I refer you to John Kerry and his “cheesesteak moment”, his “MickeyMouse climbing out of the shuttle” moment, and Mike Dukakis’ “Look at the idiot in the tank” moment.
Barry O. is finally showing what he’s like when he has to run a real campaign instead of resorting to technicalities or sex scandals to get his opponents thrown off the ballot in order to run unopposed (or nearly so – Alan Keyes? Come on.)
I think Congress needs to hold hearings on why this ham is 100 dollars a pound? Get all pig growers to testify on this out-rage.
L
Welcome to the MM comments thread.
I don’t totally agree with that, governmentdrone. Yes he lacks the “when in Rome” aspect, but he more than makes up for it in his speaking engagements. Whether he is just a “slick talker” or not, people on the campaign trail seem to eat it up. If you look at the states that he has personal campaigned heavy in, his appearances tend to influence the voters positively as reflected in his poll numbers.
TOS:
I would disagree that he “more than makes up for it” with his speaking engagements. While I don’t have the empirical data to back it up, my sense in looking at the polling numbers is that his speeches give him a temporary bump, but once a little time goes by and voters are exposed to his other flaws and faults, his numbers tend to drop back to his “pre-speech” levels. I think this is also reflected in his poll numbers vs. Hillary – up one day and down the next, although this could have as much to do with Hillary’s ability to “walk the walk” that she learned from Bill, balanced against her unique ability to consistently 1)open mouth, and 2) insert foot.
Too expensive for me! What a waste of money, but see-dubya is right (no pun intended).
Some depression we are in if that is available and is being brought.
I’ve changed my mind, I will have some, but if the Rev. Sharpton, Jackson, Huckabee, or Wright take me out to dinner. I’m just a poor ol feller who grew up in a trailer house on the borders of an Indian Reservation.
I don’t have a problem with it but what does it really say about the economy? Two weeks ago six of us went out to dinner and the bill was seven or eight hundred dollars, not counting the wine. And the place was full, people at every table and a line at the door. Fortunately someone else paid the ticket
And don’t forget that when R’s or D’s talk about jobs lost or gained the BS meter should go off. An employed individual is defined by the government as working one hour or more a week.
Let’s show everyone that we are the candidate of the people. Skip the Philly cheesesteak for the $100 ham. “Here’s to the poor people I’m representing.”
I think it’s called taquiya—like Atta boozing it up while he was making his plans for 9/11. Of course, some say he has really converted. I can’t quite reconcile that with the same people’s claim that electing him would automatically improve our international relations with Islamic countries. How would it impress them if we elected someone they consider an apostate?
#64 On April 4th, 2008 at 5:40 pm, Al in St. Lou said:
“On April 4th, 2008 at 1:33 pm, Zelsdorf Ragshaft III said:
I thought it was against Islam for mohamidans to eat pork.
I think it’s called taquiya—like Atta boozing it up while he was making his plans for 9/11. Of course, some say he has really converted. I can’t quite reconcile that with the same people’s claim that electing him would automatically improve our international relations with Islamic countries. How would it impress them if we elected someone they consider an apostate?”
Exactly!
And, if he has indeed truly converted, then he will have a target on his back, worldwide, for the rest of his life.
More than $100 per person not counting the wine –
! Am glad you didn’t have to pick up the tab.
Well after hearing the tale of that meal guess I won’t beat myself up for spending $4 instead of $2 on lunch today
Didn’t even know what arugula is so thanks for the tips above. Sounds tasty, and will have to try it sometime – on a payday or something…
Mmm, Spanish ham and argula…maybe we can just put Obama on the Food Network instead of in the White House
.
I used to shop at Whole Paycheck when there was one just down the street from me in VA. Now I have a Trader Joe’s and a fancy pants Vons within walking distance from my house.
For a guy trying to project a “common man” image, passing on an Institution like Philly cheesesteak for pricey ham kiblets is not exactly in keeping with the theme.
$100 a pound? Holy smokes! That’s about the same price per pound that Eliot Spitzer paid for his tender vittles.
Who wants to bet that Obama has a bidet in his bathroom at home?
…what by the way is argula?
It’s rocket, described as a peppery leafy vegetable but actually downright bitter.
SLIGHTLY off topic..
Anyone in Ann Arbor, MI. wants to know of a good place for some delicious eats, try Zingerman’s Deli..
near downtown.. almost an institution..
just the smells of the cheeses and hams inside is worth it..
http://www.zingermans.com/
Slightly off topic but relevant perhaps. To think, I used to get chastised for splurging on Nathan’s Hot Dogs!
You can go natural and go organic all you want but I have bad news for you. I managed an organic farm in West Virginia and you know what? Every year (Usually two or three times at least) the state would still spray chemical mosquito killer all over the crops and the grass. All the organic in the world is not going to change the fact that the same state who approves of this costly alternative, also prevents it from ever really being what they claim.
I also agree that there are much more important things to worry about other than what somebody eats. However, that being said, you really cannot get a Philly Cheesesteak anywhere except Philly. The pretzels are the same way. For the record, most street vendors have them just as good as Genos or Pats but the cheese fries are different. I always ate mine with American but never had any problems there. How could anybody go to Philly and not get a cheesesteak or a pretzel? The one that always got me was going to the WaWa to grab a hoagie and some ho-hos … but I do not know if you can even say that any more.
Hundred dollar ham? Yeah, gimme a bullet and I will bring back a deer! I would not pay that much for a ham sandwich even if I could afford it!
Just like a politician, to sample the best ham you have and not buy it..
Rationalize it however you want, this is a total waste of time, a non-issue that only makes those who bang away at it look foolish.
“What we find so worthy of comment is the fact that he just doesn’t get the point of camapigning. As I said before, eating steaks in Philly is as much a part of campaigning as eating breakfast in a greasy spoon in New Hampshire or kissing babies. Like it or not, IT’S A PART OF THE GAME.”
Yeah, and I just bet, that if he HAD eaten the sandwich, someone would’ve made an article or comment about him ‘pandering to voters’. That’s what this sandwich eating, greasy spoon, baby kissing B.S. is all about anyway. It’s totally transparent.
If we don’t like a candidate, we get upset if they don’t do it right, and get upset if they do, calling it ‘pandering’.
This isn’t even worthy of a bumper sticker.
Arugula is tasty, but too much will gives me heartburn.
And it is this kind of ignorance that makes the libs look good.
B.H. Obama is not a Muslim. He’s a Christian. I have serious issues with his choice of church.. but he’s still a Christian.
AND if he ever has been a Muslim then he is perfect for US President. As there is no one a true Muslim would rather kill faster than an apostate Muslim (aka someone who USED to be a Muslim and has renounced the faith). There is an automatic death sentence on all apostate Muslims by the true Religion of Peace(TM).
/no I’m not voting for Obama
//or HRC
///or Shamnesty McCain
////I’m thinking Libertarian even if they do put up another total nut job.
/////Unless that nut job is Ron Paul. Then I may just write in Condolezza.
//////And I thought the ticket was depressing in 2004…. *sigh*
“Anybody gone into Whole Foods lately and see what they charge for arugula?”
So cut your own damn lawn, pal.