Since the President’s Weekly was released on Thanksgiving, I thought I’d give the space to one of my favorite photo journalists, Bill Cunningham and his “On the Street” column covering NYC’s street fashion scene during the Thanksgiving week. Granted Bill’s coverage is a lot less humble or sober, but we have plenty of time for that come Monday.
Believe it or not, I took note from my 2008 Thanksgiving post and went to the National Museum of the American Indian for my turkey dinner at the Mitsitam Cafe. As far as I’m concerned, Mitsitam (which means “Let’s Eat”) is one of the best museum cafes in the world. For me, it is one of the key exhibits inside the museum – the foodways of the Americas.
Afterwards, it was off to the U.S. Botanic Gardens which opened its Holiday Magic exhibit on Thanksgiving Day. If you’re missing the days of holiday window displays and splash, the Botanic Gardens makes up for D.C.’s loss of creative holiday cheer. The U.S. Botanic Gardens is located right across from the South lawn of the U.S. Capitol. The exhibit includes moving toy trains, fairy lands, castles, storybook settings, and even Washington federal landmarks (with the exception of the toytrains), all made of plant material. Wreath making classes will be starting soon. I haven’t been to the Gardens in years. I’ll have to keep this venue in mind when I need a change in climate. There’s a Hawaii room.
If Zora were here, she might jump up on the table and dance.
Washington Post (November 16, 2009)
Crow Dance - Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
I’m still trying to figure out the Crow Dance?
The first Food and Folklore event at Eatonville Restaurant was a big success with food, company, talk time, and spirit. The maiden launch which coincided with other Zora-themed events at the restaurant that weekend was covered by staff writer David Montgomery in the Washington Post, Monday, November 16 in the Style section – front page and back! Eatonville hosted Valerie Boyd, Zora Neale Hurston biographer, who’s introduced “Zora-head” to this social mix.
The theme for the December 9th Food and Folklore event is African American Holiday Traditions and Celebrations. Camille Giraud Akeju director of the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum will be the special guest talking about the museum’s 2008 exhibit “Jubilee: African American Celebration.” Last weekend I enjoyed lunch with Camille, Eatonville owner Andy Shallal and Eatonville executive chef Rusty Holman to talk menu, food and meaning. You just can’t talk about food without swapping stories. Food traditions seem to come from what’s readily available to the household and in season. Even I remember when oranges made an annual appearance around Thanksgiving through New Years straight from Florida. Today I see my favorite navels all year round straight from South Africa and Chile. According to Valerie Boyd, oranges were among Zora’s favorite fruits. Note: Eatonville was her childhood Florida home.
Christmas and Thanksgiving certainly have a crossover appeal with variations on the themes depending on means, region, culture, race, and denomination. I’ll never forget my first Puerto Rican Thanksgiving. No turkey. Pork shoulder.
But it’s New Years eve that seems to have significant meaning in the African American experience particularly after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation freeing enslaved people in the U.S. It would be the law of the land at the beginning of the new year in 1863. It took a little more time for that message to get to Texas.
Is that what the church “watch night” (New Years eve) was all about?
I’ve gone into a panic about not having black eyed peas on my plate for New Years. Even Martha Stewart’s been stirring black eyed peas. Since Martha’s adopted this tradition, I have to get to the grocery store earlier than December 31st to get my stash. For years I never questioned why it’s important to have the peas on the plate or for a Black Man to be the first to walk through your door on New Years Day. I’ll have to find out before December 9 for the next Food and Folklore.
It’s BYOS – Bring Your Own Stories. Zora-heads welcomed. Listen to Zora sing the “Crow Dance” song here on the Library of Congress website of Florida folklore in the WPA collections.
Reservations required for Food and Folklore at Eatonville Restaurant; prix fix menu (see below): Email foodandfolklore[at]gmail[dot]com or call 202-332-ZORA (9672)
Back in the day, school teachers would assign a poem for their classes to memorize for the month. The poem was usually thematic to the month, if possible, connected with a holiday. Around the month of October, I reflect back to a poem my father learned in school. It’s so easy to remember. It’s also a menu. Though I have yet to accomplish in my kitchen what the Thanksgiving poem lays out as the “real Thanksgiving” deal, and have no idea who the original scribe of this poem was, it remains my connection to my father’s happier memories of his childhood in Virginia.
THAT’S THANKSGIVING
Pies of pumpkin, apples, mints.
Jams and jellies, peaches, quince.
Purple grapes and apples red.
Cakes and nuts and gingerbread.
That’s Thanksgiving.
Turkey, oh a great big fellow.
Fruits all rich and ripe and mellow.
Everything that’s good to eat
More than I can now repeat.
That’s Thanksgiving.
I’m just going to post some links and quotes from the press etc. about the State Dinner. It was a tremendous success considering the dreary rain outside the White House and tent where the State dinner took place on the South Lawn. The President included a reference to the tent in his toast to the Indian Prime Minister Mamnohan Singh making the case for the tent as more than an alternate venue to accommodate more guests.
“…in India some of life’s treasured moments are celebrated under the cover of a beautiful tent.”
Apparently, there were two party crashers. Northern Virginia socialites Tareq and Michaele Salahi. I guess looking the part means showing up in a sari, being tall and blond, having an escort with some kind of name recognition, and then acting like you belong. What has society come to? Someone should throw the Emily Post at them. It’s been said, this is a first for the White House for this kind of event. Some Secret Service person must’ve gotten a dressing down if not a pink slip.
I’ve already had a kitchen disaster or two tonight, so I’m going to make this quick and clean up my mess. I’ll cry tomorrow at the carry out.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING
THE GUEST LIST – here. Nothing that would raise eyebrows. People have noted the large number of staffers. I thought there was an appropriate dash of celebrity types. Perhaps the political players have finally reached the “star” level they’ve envied Hollywood for over the years. Even the Washington Post is pulling the energy closer to home shutting down their LA, NY, and Chicago bureaus.
Managing Editor Marcus Brauchli wrote to staff – “At a time of limited resources and increased competitive pressure, it’s necessary to concentrate our journalistic firepower on our central mission of covering Washington and the news, trends and ideas that shape both the region and the country’s politics, policies and government.”
THE MENU
Two thumps up! Marcus Samelsson added okra and collard greens to the mix. Once I get over my Thanksgiving dilemma, I can take this all in with a happier spirit and look forward to seeing the recipes. The Food Editors at the Post have their own blog. Some interesting stuff, worth checking out.
Potato and Eggplant Salad
White House Arugula with Onion Seed Vinaigrette
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Red Lentil Soup with Fresh Cheese
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Roasted Potato Dumplings with Tomato Chutney, Chickpeas and Okra
or
Green Curry Prawns with Caramelized Salsify, Smoked Collard Greens and Coconut Aged Basmati Rice
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Pumpkin Pie Tart
Pear Tatin
Whipped Cream and Caramel Sauce
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Petits Fours and Coffee
Cashew Brittle
Pecan Pralines
Passion Fruit and Vanilla Gelees
Chocolate-Dipped Fruit
The first lady, however, was the star of the show. She glittered in a strapless silver, embroidered gown by the Indian-born designer Naeem Khan. She wore her hair swept back and had piles of sparkling “churis,” traditional Indian bracelets, on her wrist. Her ensemble announced that no-holds-barred, Hollywood-style sexy glamour had arrived in Washington.
Robin Givhan and Roxanne Roberts for The Washington Post (November 26, 2009)
While the 1st anniversary of the attack on Mumbai is front page news (11/26), nevertheless some attention was given to the State dinner: Earlier, as guests began sweeping in for the dinner on a bleak, damp evening, the invitees’ list reflected the growing success of Indian-Americans in the US, something both successive American and Indian leaders are never tired of observing and praising at their meetings. From the Indian presence in Hollywood (Director M.Night Shyamalan and his wife Bhavna; actor Kal Penn, now a White House official; and the Dreamworks trio of Steven Spielberg, Keffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen all tied up with Reliance) to politics (Governor Bobby Jindal, San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris, state lawmakers Swati Dandekar, Satvir Choudhury, Raj Goyle and Jay Goyal), the happy karma of brown folk was on full display in the big tent. In fact, there were half dozen each of Guptas and Singhs, and at least three Shahs, in the guest list.
Nikki Finke has a partial list of Hollywood guests for tonight’s White House state dinner for Indian prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and his wife, Ms. Gursharan Kaur. Note the word “expected” which means the full guest list printed in tomorrow” Washington Post will confirm the validity of Ms. Finke’s source. Her post also says “Official.”
My guess is many of the “stars” will come from Ari Emanuel‘s client list for William Morris Endeavor. (The historic William Morris agency merged with Emanuel’s upstart Endeavor earlier this year. Emanuel is co-CEO and remains brother of Rahm Emanuel, Chief of Staff for the POTUS).
It’s a short blurb on Deadline Hollywood, so I’ll just post here: Below is a list of expected entertainment industry attendees at tonight’s State Dinner hosted by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for guest of honor Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India & Ms. Gursharan Kaur: Ari Emanuel, David Geffen, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Jeff Immelt, Michael Lynton and wife Jamie, Gayle King, M. Night Shyamalan, Steven Spielberg, Alfre Woodard, Blair E Underwood.
This morning the news media was able to provide small details re the chef, the entertainment, and the tent. Yes, there are so many people who need to be there, that a tent was ordered in to accommodate 320 or so guests. President Bill Clinton also put up the tent for a former Indian PM during his presidency.
The Washington Post will have a live feed of State Dinner information here. Or you can watch it LIVE on White House TV here. It starts at 8:15. Geez. If I had known it was being televised, I would’ve had an “unofficial state dinner party.” I’ll stick to my original plan – my homemade Kung Pao chicken with brown basmati rice. Then I need to get started on my apple pie crust. I’m not kidding.
I’m very interested in the menu as the guest of honor is vegetarian. The White House has brought in another guest chef from the east coast, Marcus Samuelsson of Aquavit. I became familiar with Samuelsson through culinary writer and cookbook author Vertamae Grosvenor who gave me some background information about his being born in Ethiopia and raised in Sweden. According to the Post, Samuelsson’s been harvesting ingredients from the First Lady’s organic garden.
The result: a menu featuring potato and eggplant salad, red lentil soup and roasted potato dumplings or green curry prawns.
And dessert….
The desserts – including pumpkin pie tarts and pear tatin – came courtesy of Pastry Chef Bill Yosses and his team. The pears were poached in honey from the White House beehive, and the desserts were garnished with mint and lemon verbena from the garden.
It’s my understanding everything served will be home grown regional and in season.
A photo of the place setting has been released. [photo by Jim Young for Reuters] First Lady Michelle Obama previewed the event with a group of high school students. This White House did not pull a Nancy Reagan. Guests will be served on the old Eisenhower china also used by the Clinton and Bush (W) White Houses.
Entertainment will be provided by Jennifer Hudson (Chicago chica and “Dreamgirl” the movie), A.R. Rahman composer for the Oscar winning film “Slumdog Millionaire” (I’m not sure how “Slumdog” played with the folks back home), and Marvin Hamlisch and his orchestra. If Jennifer Hudson sings standards at a moderate volume with Marvin Hamlisch, that’ll be cool. I really hope the finale won’t be a sing-along of “Jai Ho” for the PM.
Keeping my fingers crossed for the social secretary and her staff tonight. I feel their sweat. But their job is to not show it.
