An inauguration feast

The inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th president of the U.S. has been in the news in many ways. Especially the luncheon he hosted afterward was closely watched over by the press. Who was invited was one of the most talked about aspects, the photo of tech billionaires Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg and Sundar Pichai, was the center of everyone’s attention. Another most talked about topic was Melania’s outfit and the razor-sharp hat that hid her steely gaze. What was served at the post-ceremony luncheon was also among the topics of conversation. However, it was more about the probable messages rather than the flavors. Let’s take a look at what was served this time, and have a peek in former inauguration luncheons, what all the presidents favored, their food choices, and the legacy of the certain presidents in gastronomic terms, their food choices.

Three-course Inauguration Luncheon

Traditionally, inauguration menus are kept quite short and simple. There is usually a fish or seafood-based dish, followed by a meat entrée and a dessert. Both of President Trump’s inauguration dinners have followed this simple pattern. At his first 200-person event in 2017, guests were treated to Maine lobster and Gulf shrimp, Seven Hills Angus beef and chocolate soufflé served with cherry vanilla ice cream. This time, in his second presidential term, the baseline remains unchanged. Some speculated that there were certain political references in Trump’s new menu giving a nod to his former rivals, but I personally think that the choices were more about emphasizing American produce, in a way as if saying MAFGA, Make American Food Great Again! The entree “Chesapeake Crab Cake” is a rather folksy choice compared to the previous Trump menu. Few dishes are as American as a thick slice of steak. As a main, the plate of Omaha Angus beef from the state of Nebraska stood out, right from the heart of the country, also known as the center of American cattle breeding. The most American dessert might be apple pie, and the dessert was an icebox “terrine of apples” featuring Minnesota apples, of course, served with ice cream and salted caramel sauce, pleasing the sweet tooth of the attendees in the most American way. With this menu, which is a complete reflection of America, Trump almost said MAGA “Make America Great Again” and put American flavors at the top of his list.

Trump’s food choices are truly American in his daily routine, he is a fast-food fanatic. In this respect, it can be argued that he is a typical American, and perhaps this is one of the reasons why he is able to influence the masses. During the election campaign, his visit to a KFC chain store was criticized by many as a populist political move, but fast food is Trump’s real, everyday food preference. Although in recent years he has turned to salads to lose weight, he still favors burgers. Although he is fond of ostentation and the gilded splendor of crystal chandeliers, when it comes to food, there are few dishes that give him as much pleasure as a hamburger or a fried chicken leg. In a picture taken by his eldest son that went viral on X, he posed with Robert F. Kennedy and Elon Musk on a private plane, holding cartons of McDonald's burgers and fries. He is said to drink 12 diet cokes a day. He is teetotal, never sipping an alcoholic drink. So, at the inauguration dinner, while everyone else raised their champagne glasses and his wife Melania, a typical Slovenian girl, enjoyed her white wine from Monticello vineyards, he again raised his Diet Coke glass to toast.

First ladies and vegetable

As the menu featured a crabcake and a steak, one might wonder, where are the vegetables? Interestingly, vegetables seem to be a thing of First Ladies. Everyone remembers Michelle Obama’s vegetable patches in the gardens of the White House, but starting a vegetable garden at the President’s residence was hardly a new invention. It has always been a First Lady act, but Michelle Obama has been the one who advertised it the best as a PR case. The first White House Garden was founded by Abigail Smith, the wife of the 2nd President John Smith. It was expanded across the country by Eleanor Roosevelt and named “Victory Gardens” to encourage everyone to start their own vegetable gardens in times of poverty after the Second World War. Hillary Clinton was initially reluctant to fiddle with vegetables, but later she made a change by planting a garden on the roof of the White House. Michelle Obama, who followed her, expanded this garden-orchard business by drawing attention to heirloom seeds referring to the rising values such as organic agriculture and involving children to add to the education angle. In Trump's first term, while everyone was jokingly saying that the garden would probably be turned into a mini-golf course, Melania embraced the gardens and surprised everyone by including vegetables grown in the White House at Trump’s first presidential dinner.

Thomas Jefferson, the real gourmet president

When it comes to vegetables, one former president to mention must surely be Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd President of the United States, who is always associated with the Monticello farm in Virginia where he lived for many years. Jefferson formerly lived in Paris for five years as the American ambassador, where he was very impressed by the formidable kitchen gardens of Versailles Palace. He was an admirer of French cuisine, particularly the sublime vegetable dishes, in particular fresh peas. He brought back the vegetables and fruits he tasted in Europe, growing them in his Monticello estate, precisely 89 types and 330 species of vegetables and 30 varieties of his favorite peas. In Monticello gardens, a cornucopia of pea varieties was harvested from early spring to late summer, usually served in the President’s favorite way, gently boiled, with butter and fresh mint. As Jefferson was famed for his fondness of peas, another president famous for his appetite for peanuts was Jimmy Carter. A keen peanut grower from Plains, Georgia, there is even a peanut statue with his large toothy grin greeting passersby. If there is one president who was not on good terms with vegetables, it was surely H. W. Bush who frequently mentioned his distaste for broccoli. His inauguration was marked by broccoli, not only on the table but in his words: “I do not like broccoli. And I haven’t liked it since I was a little kid. And my mother made me eat it. Now I'm president of the United States and I’m not gonna eat any more broccoli!”

Well, every president has his own appetite, like we say “Chacun à son goût” or to each their own!