Big noise being raised about expensive food in the Obama white house... Not saying it's right or wrong for Obama to serve it, but just sayin' Bush served it too.

August, 2008
Cuisine & Wine Asia /
Have you heard? Australian Pure Blue Meats Now Served In White House

After dining on Australian Wagyu flown in by Pure Blue Meats, President Bush has given his approval for the brand of beef to be exclusively supplied to Blair House, Washington’s official state guest house, where the premium Australian Wagyu will be served to some of the most powerful people in the world.

http://www.vicsmeat.com.sg/fa...

http://www.purebluemeats.com....

Technically wagyu steak is not Kobe beef. Wagyu is genetically the same as the cows in Kobe that get turned into Kobe beef, but the practices from birth to table are quite different. And finding Wagyu over $100 is actually pretty hard. While standard Wagyu frequently heads north of $40 per pound, Lobel's offers Wagyu brisket at $62.98 for 4 pounds.

I am not surprised the press goes to the worst possible interpretation. Some of the world's finest Wagyu is being produced in the United States and the vast majority of it is being responsibly raised : no hormones, no antibiotics, no animal by-product protein additives to feed, excellent animal welfare , good return to the rancher and best of all.....it tastes fantasticand is healthier for you. And while the Japanese Wagyu is very expensive, there are options to enjoy highly marbled american Wagyu for a very reasonable price by using some of the less known cuts, like Top sirloin, or flat iron, or boneless chuck ribs, etc which are all outrageously marbled. Yes we are experiencing tough times. But the worst thing we can do is vilify the best that we do when we don't know the facts. Such is the cost of fear, EAT AMERICAN WAGYU!


http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/21928

Like all presidents, Barack Obama and his family will have to pay for their own food while they’re living in the White House. But does someone actually send them a bill? How does this system work?

President Obama may have his own executive chef now, but when his family and personal guests eat what’s coming out of the kitchen, he’ll have to foot the bill himself. Luckily for him, though, the government picks up the tab if he’s having a state function at the White House, which could get pricey since the White House’s website touts that its five chefs can crank out dinner for 140 or hors d’oeuvres for over a thousand people.

Does someone really keep track? Apparently, the White House functions like a luxury hotel in this regard. At the end of each month, the president receives a bill for his food and incidental expenses. Nancy Reagan was famously taken aback by this practice when an usher presented her first bill in 1981, saying, “Nobody ever told us the president and his wife are charged for every meal, as well as incidentals like dry cleaning, toothpaste, and other toiletries.” (Once they got used to the bills, though, the Reagans loved the White House; President Reagan often joked that all the amenities made it like living in an eight-star hotel.)

The president and his family get to pick what snacks they want, what brand of toothpaste they use, and what menu they want the chef to prepare for them, but it can still get a bit pricier than new commanders in chief expect. In a fascinating article in this month’s National Geographic, former White House chief usher Gary Walters said that he couldn’t remember any first families not complaining about the high prices of the food.