I've been trying to find out what Obama ate in China and this is the closest I can come:
"We're also hosting a 'Stars and Stripes' week featuring iconic
American cuisine," said a hotel spokesperson, who declined to give her
name due to company policy."The White House guests may want to enjoy New Orleans flavors, American steak BBQs and Jack Daniel's cocktails," she added.
That was the Marriott but I suspect the Chinese government had a say in things or at the very least it was negotiated. It's an interesting question which side is signaling the dominance with that choice; I say the Chinese. Fortunately in Beijing it seems he had:
Obama-Hu 90 min
meal feat. prawns, soups and lamb chops, plus a presentation of Chinese
noodle making, which the Americans enjoyed.
From Shanghai Daily, via Shanghaiist, Obama’s dinner at the Golden Room of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing: “The guests dined on chicken soup with bean curd, Chinese-style beef steak, stir-fried wild rice stem and asparagus, and roast grouper – all washed down with red and white Chinese wine.”
I like “iconic American” food, but overseas I only try it as a novelty. I’ve had some pretty weird “American” food in Iceland. Most places I’ve been, even if it’s not a cuisine I’m familiar with, I find the local cuisine much less weird than their attempt at “American”. (All-time best surprise goes to Sri Lankan food, by the way.)
I wonder, incidentally, whether this is partly due to a narrower conception of what “American” food should taste like than for other foods. Indian food in India tasted like Indian food in the U.S. to me; maybe it wouldn’t to an Indian, who might not be able to tell American food here from there.
Here’s some more detail about the dishes that were served during the banquet. I guess it’s only a selection, since Chinese banquets normally consist of many more dishes.
One cold dish, a soup, and three hot dishes: “Green Juice Chicken Douhua Soup” (Image: http://www.sdlhw.com/bbs/upload/2009111880655-83.jpg), Chinese-style steak, stir-fried rice stem and asparagus (Could be similar to this image: http://www.520737.com/Image/20088168322154677801.jpg), and roasted grouper. Interestingly, ice-cream with fruit was served as one of the desserts, so they did not only serve Chinese food.
Both white and red wine were offered, produced in Hebei (2002 “Great Wall Dry”).
Noodles with lamb were served too, including an entertaining presentation. Just to give you an impression of what it may have looked like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7vjtZkwUzk
(Chinese source: http://news.163.com/09/1119/02/5OERL8KO000120GR.html)
I sure hope they tried to drink him under the table with all the toasts after each banquet.
I can’t believe they served the President Great Wall Wine. That stuff is horrible, cheap and gives you a nasty hangover. When I was in China, even the backpackers wouldn’t touch the stuff
Isn’t the food in China toxic, and when not toxic, riddled with viruses and bacteria?? So, I hope Pres. Obama is eating imported food (maybe from Taiwan, Australia or Japan) and not mainland pig-slop.
I would agree with commenters above that the gap between the US and China is still objectively great enough that the POTUS ought to signal magnanimity rather than dominance.
If you have to debate which side was dominant, it wasn’t a very good signal.
My understanding is that the President brings his own food, set up to match what’s being served.
I don’t think “signaling dominance” is in the Obama repertoire.
OMG. I hope you’re being sarcastic.
No, not outside the country, where he is too busy apologizing for all kinds of alleged American sins and malfeasance and signaling weakness and obsequiousness.
But inside the US? Give me a break. He is well beyond signaling royal aloofness and disdain for mere mortals.
And I don’t particularly dislike him any more than any other member of the political class, D or R (or more than his previous predecessor, who was also pathetic).
Indian food in India tasted like Indian food in the U.S. to me; maybe it wouldn’t to an Indian, who might not be able to tell American food here from there.
True, regional specialties like kebabs, momos or dosas are rarely done well in the U.S. while staples like chicken curry or dal are usually pretty authentic. Brits are sometimes surprised when visiting India for the first time that nobody knows what the hell “chicken tikka masala” is.
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