Obama gets a taste of Canada
- February 19, 2009 2:58 PM |
- By Amber Hildebrandt
by Amber Hildebrandt, CBCNews.ca
A trip to Canada's capital wouldn't be complete without a bit of maple, and it appears U.S. President Barack Obama wasn't one to miss out on the specialty during Thursday's visit.
In a surprise stop at the historic Byward Market, Obama made sure to pick up some maple leaf-shaped cookies for his daughters. He tried to pay for the treat, but the store owner refused his money.
It was also reported he was seen carrying a box from a nearby BeaverTail vendor, though no one knows for sure if he sampled the popular local deep-fried pastry. While BeaverTails are typically sprinkled in cinnamon and sugar, the company has created a special Obama Tail with a chocolate and maple syrup "O."
Earlier in the day, Obama sat down for a healthier and more formal meal with Prime Minister Stephen Harper. It featured regional specialties from across the country. Here's what they ate for lunch:
- Pacific Coast tuna with a chilli and citrus vinaigrette
- Maple and miso-cured Nunavut Arctic char
- Lightly pickled vegetables and an organic beet relish
- Applewood-smoked Plains bison
- Winter root vegetables and local mushrooms
- Cauliflower and rosemary purée
- Juniper and Niagara red wine jus
- Saugeen yogurt pot de crème with a lemon and lavender syrup
- Wild blueberry and partridgeberry compote
- Acadian buckwheat honey and sumac tuile
Looks delicious, except for maybe the beets. Obama is widely reported to have an aversion to the root plant, though he's also known to give most foods a chance. So, who knows if he politely ate it or pushed it to the side of his plate.
About the Authors
- Elizabeth Bridge is a producer with CBC's Digital Archives project. She got her start in the kitchen baking brownies and making fudge but is still trying to get pastry right.
- Andrea Chiu
is an associate producer at CBC Radio Digital. Though she loves to eat, cook and discuss food,
don't ask her to bake. It never turns out well. She tweets as @TOfoodie on Twitter and organizes food and wine events in Toronto called FoodieMeet.
- Amber Hildebrandt
works for CBCNews.ca in Toronto. Growing up on a farm in Manitoba, she acquired an insatiable appetite, but it was during a stint in Japan that she developed her discerning tastebuds and foodie ways.
- Tara Kimura
is a multimedia producer for CBCNews.ca.
- Andree Lau
is a CBC web reporter in Calgary. Her journalism career includes seven years as a CBC-TV reporter. Her own blog called "are you gonna eat that?" chronicles her eating adventures (including sampling snake and camel hoof tendon).
- Jessica Wong
is a CBCNews.ca writer who loves to eat and cook, as well as discuss, read and watch programming about food, sometimes all at once.
- Kevin Yarr
, CBCNews.ca's writer in Prince Edward Island, wrote about food and beer for national and regional magazines before joining the CBC. He acquired a desire for new tastes on his first trip to Europe, and an appreciation of eating locally and in season when he finally settled down on P.E.I.
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Comments (16)
President B. Obama had a true taste of Canada for his lunch! Organic,local and Wild- environmentally friendly to say the least... I'm hungry!
Once the economic crisis stablizes, I think that the Harpers will host Mr. Obama and his family for a much longer visit, with public yet private time. The two men have a lot in common. I think that Mr. Harper, like Mr. Obama, is a steady hand at the helm.
What wine was served with lunch? Is the Canadian government serving only Canadian VQA wines?
Eat your beets, Mr. President. They're an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. And we went to the trouble of making them organic.
As for serving only Canadian VQA wines - VQA is an reliable indicator of quality, but I don't think we should be so parochial about our choices of wine that we have to always "buy Canadian".
I see our President is eating healthily for a change considering he is known for having junkers. Maybe he can incorporate a similar menu on Air Force 1.
May God bless you and your family, Mr. President.
The meal sounds great with one exception.
People of Ottawa come off like a bunch of bumpkin hillbillies when they try to lay claim to "the beavertail" as some marvelous local pastry gem and buy right into Grant Hooker's version of reality.
No disrespect to him, but it's like pretending he re-invented the doughnut.
Beavertail is a trademark 'name' to go with a fried dough that is virtually indistinguishable from that that can be had in county fairs all across North America in iterations under names like Elephant Ears, Whale tails and I know for a fact you can get it in Chicago.
Way to go Ottawa show us to be rubes
Mmm, that's a lot of rich food. If he ate it all, it would be no healthier than the beavertial.
The wines for the luncheon were:
Quails’ Gate Chenin Blanc 2007 (Okanagan)
Stratus Vineyards Red 2002 (Niagara)
La Face Cachee de la Pomme Neige 2005 (Quebec)
It appears the Canadian media, like America's MSNBC, are another organ of the US Democratic Party.
Wouldn't it be nice if our media treated conservative politicians with the same kid gloves?
He doesn't like beets is news? What about his moves to throw out NAFTA? What about the fact that in his first month he spent more tax dollars than any 2 Presidents combined during their entire terms?
Perhaps the article should be titled, "Canadian Media line up to worship American Socialist."
Ziegler calls this "Media Malpractice."
Did anyone notice what, if anything, the emporer
wore?
I just have to comment on Dean Ware's comment above; although greatly Canadian (and delicious sounding too!) - his meal was far from environmentally friendly. Take into account the transport costs to bring not only the pacific tuna, but the arctic char down to Ottawa. I think that a greater symbol of our two nations turn towards green-thinking would have been to do away with the pleasantries of a pan-Canadian meal, and serve whatever was bought down at the local farmers market. Would have been nice given Obama's everyday-Joe Blow projected image to see a meal that regular everyday Canadians eat as well, instead of fancy feast of delectables.
But, enough bitching :D, seems as though Obama enjoyed his visit, we showed him a good time and hopefully he will put down the pen on this Buy American fiasco... you still have much to learn, young Grasshopper..
Two great people just got together and had launch. I never voted for Steve harper's part but I believe he is the only honest man avaliable from both parties now. Let's back these two good people that we haven't seen around in the U.S. or canada for a long time.
Two great people just got together and had launch. I never voted for Steve harper's part but I believe he is the only honest man avaliable from both parties now. Let's back these two good people that we haven't seen around in the U.S. or canada for a long time.
Every person who helped make this meal possible needs to be thanked and congratulated.And ofcourse I don't just mean the chefs.
I was disappointed when Peter Mansbridge and buddy joked around about this wonderful menu from Canadian workers.His buddy journalist said that he himself was a Molson guy. Well, that is the problem with such a nonappreciative appraoch to the people who provide us with quality food, and ofcourse our LOCAL small and better than Molson's breweries.
We will see in these times of a financial recession and climate change that these quality small business producers, growers and fishing people will be the people who sustain us.
Consumers need to support their local Canadians and food sources.
It was a celebration, so I think it was GREAT to have an across and up and down Canada menu.
I thought macaroni and cheese was Canadian.
I love it with ketchuup.
Caesar salad is always good, too.
I thought macaroni and cheese was Canadian.
I love it with ketchup.
Caesar salad is always good, too.
Andy, this is a food blog, not a forum for conservative diatribe. Want to know about Obama's take on NAFTA? Try checking out his website, or, ohhh, let's say, the news section of a website like CBC. If you want to read a food blog, you're in the right place- but it sounds to me like you're looking for something else, so...
Move. On.