OK - don't be too surprised but Pres Obama "can talk about banana cream pie for a really long time". [View All]

[Pirate Smile]

President Obama teaches Bobby Flay a thing or two about grilling



We knew President Obama was a foodie, who at one point in his life even reviewed restaurants. <br>

But who knew the prez has mad grilling skilz?

Chef Bobby Flay was speaking to the news media recently about Sunday night's special two-hour episode of "Iron Chef America," which goes to the White House for the first time. First Lady Michelle Obama will issue the challenge: Competitors are invited to pluck whatever they like from America's most famous garden and prepare five dishes that epitomize the ultimate American meal. Back in Kitchen Stadium, Flay and White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford will go up against Mario Batali and Emeril Lagasse. Judges include celebuchef Nigella Lawson, actress Jane Seymour and Olympic swimmer Natalie Coughlin. (Read more about Sunday night's show here.)

During the media call, Flay noted that he had been to the White House before, invited to take part in an Obama initiative to mentor young men. While there, he struck up a conversation with the White House pastry chef who revealed that President Obama is quite at home in the kitchen and "can talk about banana cream pie for a really long time." At one point during the cookout portion of the mentoring event, Flay found himself -- where else? -- manning the barbecue. And out of the corner of his eye he saw the president walking toward him.

What was Flay thinking? "OK, here is the leader of the free world about to grab a pair of tongs with me. What am I supposed to do?"

As an icebreaker, Flay told Obama that he'd heard through the grapevine that the president was quite knowledgeable about food and cooking. The president struck a modest reply, "'Oh, no, I don't know much about it, but I'm interested,'" Flay recalled.

A moment later, Flay started to offer the president some gentle suggestions about what to do next at the barbecue. The president, Flay recalled, told him he needn't bother: "Hey, I know what I'm doing."

-- Rene Lynch


Photo: Check out chef Mario Batali's orange Crocs. Do you think he and Michelle Obama coordinated colors? From left, chefs Bobby Flay and Cristeta Comerford, "Iron Chef America" MC Alton Brown, the first lady, Batali and chef Emeril Lagasse. Credit: Food Network

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dailydish/2009/12/first-lady-michelle-obama-reigns-over-this-iron-chef-showdown.html?

I think most of us remember how much President Obama likes pie.

Obama On Pie We Can Believe In
Share October 11, 2008 12:25 PM

ABC News' John Berman, Sunlen Miller, and Ursula Fahy report: Barack Obama claims he likes a nice piece of pie. Who doesn't? After all, it tastes good. But however much Barack Obama likes to eat pie, it pales in comparison to how much he likes to say it.

ABC's Sunlen Miller, who counts these types of things, reports Obama managed to say the word "pie" 13 times in 86 seconds before a friendly crowd in Philadelphia. Historical accounts on this subject are sparse, but it appears to be a record.

It all started when Obama began telling one of his new favorite stories about a visit to a diner in Ohio with OH Governor Ted Strickland. The details of the story are unimportant, and frankly, sometimes unintelligible in the peerless plethora of pie references, but it went like this:

"I was in this small town in Ohio called Georgetown, OH – little town," he began, "And we went to a diner because I decided I wanted some pie (1)." At this point a woman in the Philadelphia crowd, listening to the story, offered to make Obama a treat. "You gonna make me some pie (2)?" he asked, "What kind of pie do you make (3)? Sweet potato pie (4)? Alright. Alright. We might have to have a sweet potato pie (5) contest. I'll be the judge. Cause I know my sweet potato pie (6). But they did not have sweet potato pie (7) at this particular establishment," he said speaking again of the diner in Ohio. "So instead I got coconut crème pie (8). I'll take a crème pie (9), I don't mind. I like all kind of pie (10). The Governor of Ohio, he had lemon meringue pie (11) . So we had ordered our pie (12), and the employees there decided they wanted to take a picture of me," he concluded, "But just as we were finishing up taking the picture, the owner comes out, with our pie (13)."

There it is. 13 times. 86 seconds. Pie We Can Believe In.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/10/obamas-new-slog.html

"We want pie!" Miami tells Obama

Somebody give these people some pie, quick.

We have officially entered the silly season.
The economic "pie" metaphor has turned into a chant.

Obama has been using the pie image to hit back at McCain's allegation that his effort to "spread the wealth" is akin to socialism. This time it went a little further.

"Recently I heard Sen. McCain say that I'm more concerned with who gets your piece of the pie than with growing the pie. But let's be absolutely clear -- after eight years of Bush-McCain economics, the pie is shrinking. And what's left of the pie has been eaten by millionaires and billionaires," Mr. Obama told a noisy rally at Miami's Bicentennial Park. "Everybody here wants some pie. We want to grow the pie. And then we want a slice of the pie!"

And that, my friends, set off a chant in the crowd:

"We want pie! We want pie! We want pie!"

http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2008/10/we-want-pie-miami-tells-obama.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-hood/we-want-pie-we-want-pie-m_b_137152.html