Just the words ‘comfort food’ brings to mind delicious pleasures that can take you far away from stressful days.
Of course, presidents are just like us in that way. Everyone has their go to ‘comfort food’, the one thing you like to eat while lowering the stresses of a busy life. And presidents live in a pressure cooker, so the need for a favorite food can go a long way to reducing some of that massive stress.
Wouldn’t you like to know those favorite foods of our presidents? You may be surprised, or shake your head at some of them, but there are some easy to see revelations into their personalities too.
Some of these favorites have become so well known that it’s become part of their identity. Think Ronald Reagan and his jellybeans.
One president has received credit for the creation of one of America’s all time go to comfort foods. Thomas Jefferson spent years in France while representing our country. He loved French foods and wines. Once back home, he took some culinary ideas from his experiences and created what we now call Mac & Cheese!
Just thinking about a warm side of Mac & Cheese makes me hungry!
George H. W. Bush was more famous for a food he hated, than for his actual favorite. He loved his pork rinds but very publicly hated broccoli.
Naturally, there is some regional appeal for certain foods, depending on where the man grew up. No surprise that John F. Kennedy loved New England clam chowder, or that Jimmy Carter loves grits.
Some presidents have used food as an insult while engaging in political bullying. In 1897, Theodore Roosevelt was serving in the William McKinley administration as Assistant Secretary of the Navy. Roosevelt was a vocal advocate of naval preparedness, most immediately for a possible war with Spain. Mr. McKinley, a Civil War veteran, was slow to push for war. Roosevelt famously insulted him by saying “he has no more backbone than a chocolate éclair”. 4 years later, after gaining fame in the Spanish-American War for his charge up San Juan Hill, Roosevelt succeeded to the presidency following McKinley’s assassination in Buffalo New York.
Some president’s favorites are from the sweet tooth category. Dwight Eisenhower loved fudge, James Madison preferred ice cream, and Zachary Taylor loved beignets.
Others would be considered odd by today’s standards. For example, William Henry Harrison and James Garfield both liked squirrel as a stew or soup. Andrew Jackson loved “leather britches”, a regional name for green beans and bacon.
The idea of comfort food in more modern times may be best illustrated by Franklin D. Roosevelt’s love of grilled cheese sandwiches or Barack Obama’s preference for nachos. FDR went further by serving hot dogs to the King of England during a state visit to Hyde Park. The president who gets the prize for most nutritious favorite is John Quincy Adams who loved fresh fruits. And for the weirdest favorite, I must award that distinction to Richard Nixon for his cottage cheese and ketchup habit.
Finally, we cannot complete our presidential food journey without mentioning William Howard Taft. It seems we all know that Big Bill was our largest president, tipping the scale at 330 pounds during his presidency. So, a natural question becomes: what was his go to comfort food? He loved steak and potatoes and ate heartily. For him, unhappy as president, eating was his way to off load stress. After his term ended, he shed over 80 pounds, serving later as Supreme Court Chief Justice in a trimmer form.
What about our current president? Joe Biden’s favorite is pasta with red sauce, specifically angel hair pomodoro.
Interested in learning more about the presidents? Visit the Carolyn & James Millar Presidential Gallery on the upper level of the Booth Western Art Museum. The gallery features original letters and photographs of every U.S. president. Learn more at www.boothmuseum.org.
