If you look very closely, you can see that the Obamas prefer their water with a slice of lemon AND a straw. Also, they may like condiments. SourceEver feel like everyone is watching what you eat? Well perhaps, it’s because they are. What started out with the exhibitionist offerings like daily food blogs, food porn mags and cooking shows has crossed over into the voyeuristic side with behavior that, frankly, borders on stalking.
While people have long been conscious of what the person in front of them puts on the conveyor belt at the grocery store, the Internet has launched this peeping food-ism into new realms. And the ‘net sees everything. There are entire websites dedicated to detailing the gustatory lives of celebrities. There are also sites that pick apart the eating habits of rank-and-file civilians. And who can forget Time magazine’s beautifully illustrated feature “What the World Eats“?
Sadly, these sites, TV shows and magazine articles are not content with merely noting what people are eating but often feel the need to pass judgment on it as well. “What is that on Reese Witherspoon’s fork? Is she eating a sandwich? It looks like it has mayo on it!!!” “Can’t believe fatty bought a package of little Debbies! There should be a law!”
The latest target of this new trend, however, is our newly minted fave celebrities: The First Family. It isn’t enough that the New York Times has already lauded Michelle Obama as the First Lady of Healthy Eating but now upping the ante is Ruth Reichl, editor of Gourmet magazine. She is calling for the Obamas to release a daily food log to the public saying she hopes “that America’s families will mimic the healthy theme of their menus.”
Aside from the fact of whether or not anyone cares to know what the President eats on a daily basis – I’m sure that plenty of folks, would-be assassins included, will have a passing interest – I’m worried as to what this obsession with every last bite will do to Malia and Sasha. Michelle Obama has already confessed that concerns about Malia’s weight have lead them to eliminate juice boxes, fruit snacks and other processed foods. Which of course is the right response. No child, no matter what their weight, needs “fruit” snacks. But the real question is did the general public need to know about this private family decision? How will Malia feel knowing that already her weight is being scrutinized despite being on the cusp of the battleground that is puberty. How will Sasha feel if she wants a Scooby-Doo push pop after dinner and then sees it makes front page news? (Oh, the high fructose horror!)
A second reason I take issue with knowing the minutiae of the Obamas’ meal plans is that it encourages the public to compare themselves to people who have a private chef, personal shoppers and many other luxuries that while they are well deserved for the service they are rendering our country, do not necessarily lend themselves to working class comparisons. It’s already been shown that rich people are thinner, healthier and eat better regardless of all other demographic factors. So how is showing the working poor how the Obamas get “herb roasted pheasant with wild rice stuffing and winter vegetables” going to get them to make similar choices? I’m pretty sure the local 7-11 doesn’t carry pheasant.
My last problem with this issue is basic privacy. I’m nobody and I freak out thinking everyone is watching what I put in my cart, on my plate and in my mouth – not to mention what I feed my kids. With all the stress attendent to being President of the United States of America and the First Lady, why should they add this to the fishbowl they already live in? The Obamas have already proven themselves to be media darlings by being quite open with their lives – do we need to ask this of them too? What’s next, digging through the trash to find what kind of feminine hygeine products Michelle favors?
I don’t need to know what the First Family eats.
What’s your opinion? Am I overreacting? Is this a harmless diversion? Opportunity for a healthier America?
Like you I’m more concerned with what I am eating.
I guess we’ve come a long way since the I don’t like broccoli statement of the elder Bush.
I’ve long noticed, the more in my life, the less I notice the trivia in others lives.
Other than smoking however, I suppose we could do a lot worse than this family. It’s all so new at this point, there will be some events, probably not good, before a new family moves into the spotlight.
I’m right there with you, Charlotte. And can you imagine that if the Obamas were to post food diaries or something like that, how much that might mess with the kids? I can’t imagine being Malia or Sasha and wondering if it was “safe” to eat a burger or if I was going to get lambasted in the newspaper tomorrow morning. Frankly, I can’t see that leading anywhere good. Best case scenario would be to make them neurotic and self-obsessed; worst case scenario would be for them to develop eating disorders.
I do agree with you on the impact on the kids. Judging by how much I obsess over my own food choices, I couldn’t imagine the whole world knowing about my transgressions. It would be really tough at their age especially given all the attention they already need to deal with.
I think people tend to forget that the Obamas are JUST PEOPLE trying to do their best. They are not Super Humans and we should allow them to make “mistakes” (if that’s what you want to call eating a bit of fat…)just like the rest of us people.
I know it can get crazy. I am glad to hear that they eat healthy.
I agree with you, Charlotte. A First Family Food Blog? Commander and Chief and First Lady: PLEASE don’t waste a minute of time in office on something this trivial. And no, I don’t want my tax dollars to pay salary for someone to do it for them, either. Yeah, I have been frustrated with the nosiness of the media, mostly because the girls are young. I read some stuff about the Grandma who was thinking about moving in – the disagreement with the Obama’s on the girls’ bedtime, TV time, etc. I also heard a news report about Mrs. Obama’s exercise practices right after the election. They were talking about her getting up before her girls did to exercise like she had found a cure for cancer. “What an amazing role model she is for the Black women of America” said one reporter. I won’t even start on how condescending that sounds, but my first response was, “Come on. I get up before my kids to exercise every morning. It hardly qualifies me to be the first lady. If that’s the most impressive thing they can say about her, we are in trouble.” I wanted to hear about her going to Harvard Law School, etc. not about how she keeps a trimmer waistline than the majority of Black women in this country. (No, I am not kidding. The reporter really did say that.)
How about they let the president and his family enjoy their food in peace and concentrate only on matters of state.
Good grief! They’re the First Family, not the Kardashians!
I totally agree with you, Charlotte!
I agree with you about it.
And I had a post about my own adventures in the grocery store that will go up on Monday. (Is that okay?)
While it might be interesting to see what they eat, it would not make me change what I am eating – and I tend to think it wouldn’t change most other peoples habits either. So what would be the point? I think these poor people deserve some privacy. What they eat or don’t eat is their own business. To have somebody suggest that you should post your daily food is insane. I am not famous – and I don’t even like people at the grocery store judging what I buy. I’ve had people actually make comments on my purchases before – and it totally annoyed me! Mind your own business!!!
I’m with you, it’s creepy.
Yeah, pretty creepy. I’d rather the first family spend time, ya know, running the nation than blog about their food. I guess it’s human nature to both want to emulate those who are famous because you idolize/respect them, and to want to nitpick what they do so you feel…superior because they ate some twinkies and you didn’t? I guess? 😉
Too much attention on their daily lives could turn the first family’s life into the latest in Reality Shows. Enough already.
I think we all need to get our collective nose out of other peoples’ plates. Whether it’s the first family or the person in front of us in line at the grocery store.
It’s interesting: last night I was re-reading “Intuitive Eating” and they write about this exact same phenomenon. The Food Police. They write about how powerful words are, how we ingrain these external messages about food, health, and weight. I worry about the Obama girls, because they are so young and they are under SO MUCH scrutiny! Amy Carter was young when she moved into the White House, but there was no internet or “reality” TV in 1976. We weren’t as obsessed with every detail of everyone’s lives. No one wrote about what she ate. (OK, there was a very funny sketch on SNL about Amy going to school with her Secret Service Agents, but that was about the extent of it.)
I think Dr. J. put it perfectly: live your own life, and you stop caring about the trivialities of others’.
I couldn’t agree with you more.
Like they don’t have better things to do than blog about their food. Things like, oh…running a country?
Although I did find the photo essay of food around the world interesting. I would have liked charts and graphs to go with it though. 🙂 Inner nerd, coming out.
What bugs me the most about this is that their food choices are being held up as an example of goodness. It’s not a logical choice – the best way this family has found to fuel their bodies and connect during mealtimes – it’s a laudable example that the rest of us should strive to achieve.
Food is food. It has enough tangled associations as it is. Let’s not confuse it with morality.
I think on the one hand it’s fantastic that the Obama’s are doing this because it shows that they believe food is just as important as anything else involving running a country. Nutrition really does affect our health which affects our whole way of living, and this would really reinforce that.
On the other hand, you’re right that there’s the possibility it could be harmful to the girls, which would be not good at all. Let’s hope for the best!
Yep, I agree. I think it’s great that they have a lot of good health habits, but I really could care less about reading their food diaries. (I even find my own rather dull reading.) I don’t see why such a big stink was made about Mrs. Obama wearing a sleeveless dress, either, and I really could care less who makes her clothes.
I think there are people who will always be fascinated, though. I have an old 1960s Betty Crocker cookbook, and it features menus and recipes of celebrities of the day (including what was served at little Caroline Kennedy’s birthday party! Ooooo!).
This points to a problem that looms large on the mental landscape of modern man. Why can we not be satisfied with living our own lives? Why are we always looking at someone else?
once again, great post.
i really appreciate you writing about this. while i think it’s fantastic that the First Family is such a great example to the public in so many ways, this is overboard.
i think there are certainly times that the Obamas might be able to self-disclose to the public in how their family leads by example, however, this could be in an occasional write-up or interview. a daily food blog?! get real. while obesity, food deserts, and health education are certainly important issues, i’d like to think there are more productive ways to tackle these things–time better well spent by both Obamas.
For their daughter’s sake, I think they should keep their menu private. I could not imagine the world getting to pick apart everything I put in my mouth as a teenager. That is way too much pressure. It’s really none of our business. Give them some privacy!
Put them on the cover of every magazine. Invite them as guests on every talk show. Overanalyze every personal choice they make (wardrobe, food, pet, mother-in-law, exercise routine, smoking, personal friends (oprah). Get bored with them. Find fault in all of the above. Make them and everything they do daily fodder for ridicule.
“Is the administration’s approach to handling the economic crisis sound?”
“I don’t put a lot of stock in his decision making, I read in their daily food blog that his family eats bacon.”
Damn, thanks very much for posting this! It is gonna help me when I get Fruit Snack at the market! Fabulous!