It turns out the Obamas were living quite the high life in Chicago, employing the services of a very high-end private chef to cook for them. No word yet on whether Tony Rezko helped out with purchasing the time of Sam Kass, described by New York Times food maven Marian Burros as:
...one of the new breed of chefs who are concerned about the environment and about poor eating habits in this country, has been quoted as saying people in his profession should take the lead in tackling public health issues.
"Not only is there an unconscionable amount of people who remain hungry," he told In These Times magazine last year, "there's even a larger population, mostly poor, who are faced with obesity, diabetes and various other problems from overabundance."
A Chicago native, Mr. Kass graduated from the University of Chicago and received his formal training at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Europe. He then went to work at Avec, a Chicago wine bar serving Mediterranean food.
Kass apparently follows the practices of New American cuisine, more or less founded by Alice Waters of Berkeley, (about whom we have written), emphasizing fresh and local foods. Given the location in Washington at this particular moment, it looks like the Obamas will be eating nothing but pork. I sincerely worry about their health. I am not at all of the same school of thought as black pundit (and now college president) Julianne Malveaux, who said of Justice Clarence Thomas: "The man is on the Court. You know, I hope his wife feeds him lots of eggs and butter and he dies early like many black men do, of heart disease. Well, that's how I feel. He is an absolutely reprehensible person."
I earnestly urge Chef Kass to give up his emphasis on local ingredients as long as the Obamas are in DC, at least until the GOP takes over the House in 2010 and puts the budget on a diet. I pray for President Obama's health on a daily basis, because I am a nice guy, and because the thought of President Biden is just too awful to contemplate.
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