Americans are fascinated by food—which is quite noticeable when you look at our waistlines. We want to know who is eating what, when, where (and where I can get the same food for a better price). We even want to know what’s on the President’s daily menu. MSNBC’s “Daily Rundown” dutifully points out the White House soup of the day, everyday. But coming from the country that invented the fried Twinke, funnel cakes, and Turducken, it’s not surprise that Americans enjoy some good old “traditional” American fare.Our European counterparts seem more accustomed to enjoying and savoring their food, but French President Nicholas Sarkozy enjoys a good burger as much as any (as Sarah Palin would put it) true blue American. On Tuesday, prior to stopping by the White House, President Sarkozy and his supermodel wife, Carla Bruni, stopped by DC’s very own Ben’s Chili Bowl for some half smokes and chili burgers. They were scheduled to have a private dinner at the White House with President Obama, but that didn’t stop the French couple from indulging in a quick, chili-covered lunch.
When Sarkozy came to the US in 2007 to discuss the Iraq war, President Bush buried the hatchet with some grilling at the Bush family estate. And the menu, for Kennebunkport, Maine lunch did not include “freedom fries.” "We're going to give him a hamburger or a hot dog, his choice,"President Bush said.
"Do you think he's bringing cheese?" Mr. Bush was asked.
"I think he's bringing goodwill," the President replied.
Perhaps burgers and dogs are simply a good way to express diplomacy? Maybe he was just trying to be polite. Or perhaps much like Former Preisdent Clinton, President Sarkozy’s got a weak spot for les pommes frites et le hamburger. The UK’s Times of London claims Sarkozy also has a penchant for chocolate.
And while his wife tried to impose her diet on the President to no avail, Carla Bruni is not without her own vices. “Carla is une bonne vivante. She loves beer. She smokes. She likes good food. But she obviously has an irreproachable constitution,” says her trainer Julie Imperiali. Carla Bruni is credited with bringing fitness to Sarko—who works out with Imperiali five or six times a week.
UPDATE: Yeas and Nays reports the Sarkozy's asked for seconds at Ben's. I guess they really enjoyed those half smokes.
