Dinner with the President: Food, Politics, and a History of Breaking Bread at the White House

Dinner with the President: Food, Politics, and a History of Breaking Bread at the White House

By Alex Prud'homme

"Perhaps the most significant meals in the world have been consumed at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue by the presumptive leaders of the free world. . . . Alex Prud'homme takes us to the dining tables of the White House to look at what the presidents chose to eat, how the food was prepared and by whom, and the context in which the meals were served, making clear that every one of these details speaks volumes about both the individual president and the country he presided over.

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Book Information

Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group
Publish Date: 02/07/2023
Pages: 512
ISBN-13: 9781524732219
ISBN-10: 1524732214
Language: English

What We're Saying

February 02, 2023

Alex Prud’homme’s <i>Dinner with the President</i> shines in revealing how the comforts of a good meal can help us tap back into our humanity and reconnect with one another during an ideologically divided and socially distanced era. READ FULL DESCRIPTION

Full Description

A sumptuous narrative history of presidential food--from Washington starving at Valley Forge to Trump's well-done steaks with ketchup--from the co-author of My Life in France. 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is perhaps the most important house in the world, which gives the food on the Commander-in-Chief's table unprecedented significance. What our leaders choose to eat, how the food is prepared and by whom, and the context in which these meals are served speaks volumes not only to the country, but often to the world at large. These gustatory messages touch on everything from personal taste (Jefferson's love of eggplant, FDR's terrapin stew, Nixon's daily lump of cottage cheese topped with barbecue sauce, Obama's arugula) to local politics, national priorities, global diplomacy, climate change, and war--not to mention race, gender, class, money, and religion. In The First Kitchen, Alex Prud'homme explores the fascinating stories of first families through the food they ate and served, and in doing so paints a unique picture of the institution of the presidency--and its place in American history.

About the Author

Alex Prud'homme is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, and other publications. He is the coauthor of Julia Child's memoir, My Life in France, and has authored or coauthored The French Chef in America, France is a Feast, Born Hungry, The Ripple Effect, Hydrofracking, The Cell Game, and Forewarned.

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