Americans are passionate about their food. Whether it’s for health or just because we crave burgers and fries or that slice of pizza, our obsession over what to eat swallows up a lot of our time. A One Poll study from 2019 noted that “Americans think about food an average of four times a day and spend 40 minutes per day purely thinking about food” -- more than 240 hours a year, 10 whole days. That’s a good deal of fantasizing, especially when so many folks find it difficult to schedule 30 minutes a day for exercise. There are comestibles for just about every occasion – birthdays, anniversaries, holidays -- so it shouldn’t be a surprise that there are political foods as well. Let’s take a look at some of the cuisine inspired by political events and people.
Political Food Through the Ages
In Texas, there’s a joint named after President Donald Trump called Trump’s Burger. Restaurant critic Bao Ong attended the soft opening in May and reviewed it in an article for the Houston Chronicle. While waiting in line, she said she was “surrounded by merchandise including baseball caps emblazoned with ‘Trump 2024 The Revenge Tour’ and red T-shirts featuring a favorite line from the 47th president of the United States, ‘You’re fake news!’” The place served such items as Trump Burger, Trump Tower (burger), and chicken tenders. The buns were stamped with “Trump.” Ong wasn’t impressed with the food, referring to it as casual and nothing special, but patrons seemed to enjoy the atmosphere.
In 1973, The Watergate Cookbook, a controversial collection of recipes, was published. Tom Donnelly managed to get his hands on a copy, if only for a few minutes, and wrote about the experience in a prominent Washington newspaper. He said it was “written by persons who are deep in the soup and figure they could use the royalties if (a) they are hauled to court and obliged to hire the nation’s wiliest and most expensive lawyers or (b) don’t get charged with anything specific but go down with the sinkable types in the administration.” He mentioned some of the recipes, such as Thick Dark Sauce, which “can be used to mask almost any contretemps, dilemma or concoction.” In the appetizers section were Clam-up Canapes and Capers Galore, and the Hot Breads chapter featured Laundered Bread, Secret Bread, Stashed Bread, and Hush Money Puppies.
The Suffrage Cook Book, published in 1915, was another provocative piece of literature. The Women’s Journal praised it, saying it “ought to silence forever the slander that women who want to vote do not know how to cook.” Among sensible and helpful recipes, the book also poked fun at the politics of the time. Here are a couple of fun recipes from the book:
Anti’s (short for “antisuffragists”) Favorite Hash
(Unless you wear dark glasses you cannot make a success of Anti’s Favorite Hash)
1 lb. truth thoroughly mangled
1 generous handful of injustice
(Sprinkle over everything in the pan)
1 tumbler acetic acid (well shaken)
A little vitriol will add a delightful tang and a string of nonsense should be dropped in at the last as if by accident.
Stir all together with a sharp knife because some of the tid bits will be tough propositions.
Pie for Suffragist’s Doubting Husband
1 qt. milk human kindness
[The] reasons:
War
White Slavery
Child Labor
8,000,000 Working Women
Bad Roads
Poisonous Water
Impure Food
Mix the crust with tact and velvet gloves, using no sarcasm, especially with the upper crust. Upper crusts must be handled with extreme care for they quickly sour if manipulated roughly.
A Tasty Menu of Treats
How about a nice cocktail called The Liberal? This drink, made with rye, whiskey, amaro, orange bitters, and sweet vermouth, is listed in World Drinks and How to Mix Them, originally published in 1908.
Did you know the Baby Ruth candy bar from the 1920s wasn’t named after the famous baseball player Babe Ruth? Instead, it honored President Grover Cleveland’s eldest daughter, Ruth, who only lived to be a teenager.
Former President Ronald Reagan enjoyed Jelly Belly jelly beans so much that he served them during meetings in his cabinet room and gave them out as gifts. In the 1980s, his favorite treat was offered in jars decorated with the presidential seal.
In 2007, Ben & Jerry’s came out with a new ice cream flavor, Stephen Colbert’s Americone Dream, which contained “1776% of your recommended daily allowance of freedom.”
In 2008, the Airbnb website wanted to support volunteers traveling during the presidential campaign between Barack Obama and John McCain. It created two cold cereals: Obama O’s and Cap’n McCain’s, complete with cartoon characters of the candidates.
Delish, a food and recipe website, offers a list of presidential goodies. There’s Washington Pie, named for George, of course, and it doesn’t include cherries. It’s similar to a Boston cream pie but with layers of raspberry jam.
Charles Ranhofer, a 19th-century chef at Delmonico’s restaurant in New York, created a rice pudding dish called Apricots with rice à la Jefferson to honor America’s third president.
Dolley Madison, America’s first first lady and wife of President James Madison, was well-known for her hostess abilities. In 1937, Roy Nafziger named a line of snack cakes after her, although he dropped the “e” in her name. The catchy motto: “Cakes and pastries fine enough to serve at the White House.”
Madam’s Organ, a speakeasy-style blues bar in Washington, DC, offers a Bill Clinton Burger, which the menu describes as a “Fat ALL AMERICAN with a large dill & a slice on the side.” It also has a coupon – “$1.00 off for women who have slept with the president. Limit 3 per table” – according to Forbes.
If we haven’t satisfied your appetite yet, here is a simple recipe for G.O.P. Cookie Crumbles from The Watergate Cookbook on the Cookin’ With Congress website:
G.O.P. Cookie Crumbles
Ingredients
1 package semi-sweet chocolate bits (not chocolate chips)
1 can Chinese style noodles
Instructions
1) Melt chocolate in the top of a double broiler.
2) Add noodles and mix gently
3) Drop by spoonful on cookie sheet. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
Enjoy.
