Can we really trust a presidential candidate who comes to New York City and requests lunch at a chain restaurant? Zev Chafets, writer for the New York Times Magazine, reports:
Six weeks ago, I met Huckabee for lunch at an Olive Garden restaurant in Midtown Manhattan. (I had offered to take him anywhere he wanted and then vetoed his first choice, T.G.I. Friday’s.) He walked through the room in such total anonymity that I felt sorry for him. Our waiter, Corey, had no idea who he was, or even that he was supposed to be somebody.
I, too, would have felt bad for Huckabee, but even today, as the press makes his face more and more familiar, is it fair to expect an Olive Garden waiter to make a big fuss over him? Anyway, Ed Levine of New York Eats believes that Huckabee needs a culinary adviser, and he generously shared some meal ideas for next time:
[Huckabee]’s a fisherman and he watches his weight (he’s lost 110 pounds in recent years), so if Huckabee had solicited my advice, I would have sent him to Esca or the Kwik Meal cart at 45th Street and Sixth Avenue. Have the crudo and a salad at Esca, Mr. Huckabee. And you can’t go wrong with the mini-chicken roll at Kwik Meal.
These are solid suggestions, but in the comments, one reader wonders whether some politics were behind Huckabee’s pedestrian lunch requests. Was his Friday’s craving for real, or was it “some PR move designed to appeal to the tourist Middle America demographic?”
A few years ago I was visiting our midtown New York office and I took a staff member out to lunch “anywhere he wanted.” He said that “he loved steak” and we ended up with Outback Steakhouse. I am still irritated by my wasted lunch even though I’ve long since fired him.
It isn’t a matter of trust– it is a matter of taste. Bleck to Huckabee.
Not that this is an excuse, but people who have lost a lot of weight after being problem overeaters often have to control their weight by knowing exactly how many calories they’re eating. One strategy is to memorize nutritional info and order the same thing every time you’re at that restaurant. Sadly, that leads to a lot of chain dining. I guarantee you that Huckabee has a “safe meal” that he knows how to order at Olive Garden or TGIFridays.
He has no idea how many calories are in a meal at Esca or Kwik Meal. Especially if he’s not a cook. I imagine he’s trying to keep from falling off the wagon.
Good point HeatherKay. Chain restaurants are excellent at that (pretty much only that but still!)
I agree with HeatherKay also (as one who is losing weight and working very had not to fall off the wagon) – but my “safe food” is sushi! :)
the guys doesn’t believe in evolution – so how evolved can his taste buds be?
I don’t agree with the man’s politics (far from it), but this is still America people. He has a right to eat wherever he wants, however unappealing it is to me.
This kind of food snobbery is why I don’t identify myself as a foodie.
That wasn’t so bad considering most campaigns are fueled by donuts and Pizza Hut. Remember that Clinton couldn’t pass up McD’s fries and Edwards loves Wendy’s and drinks Diet Coke all day long. Everybody feeds them something they have to eat at every campaign stop. Do you have any idea how many pancake breakfasts they have to go to in NH alone?
Reminds me of Americans I’ve seen in Paris: with a city filled with an amazing array of good to great restaurants at every price range, they stream into MacDonalds! No sense of adventure, I’d suppose. Or maybe they’re afraid that someone will slip “something weird” onto their plate… like fresh herbs or never-frozen vegetables or real cheese.