Again in 2019, Bennett Rea’s grandmother-in-law confirmed him her copy of the South Dakota Centennial Cookbook, revealed in 1989. It contained contributions from all around the nation, they usually marveled collectively at how disgusting lots of the recipes had been. Additionally they puzzled why politicians had been prepared to be related to issues like Anniversary Horseradish Salad (Rep. Glenn English) or microwaved Tremendous Fish (Sen. Chuck Grassley). Rea determined he wanted to expertise these meals for himself and started posting movies and weblog posts concerning the outcomes. Finally, Cookin’ With Congress developed into Rea consuming like presidents, first girls, and different notable figures like Kamala Harris for whole days at a time, in addition to strange Individuals in every of the 538 congressional districts. The mission has not been with out peril: per week of subsisting on Weight loss plan Coke and quick meals like Donald Trump left him dead-eyed and cradling an artichoke. However maybe Rea’s piece de resistance was the day in Could when he ate like William Howard Taft, an expertise that required him to eat 8,200 energy, 9 completely different sorts of meat (together with possum), and three desserts; the following meat sweats and 24 hours of digestion and fasting culminated in what Rea calls “an unintentional mystical imaginative and prescient quest.”
Earlier on, you had been rating the presidents by palate and Taft was primary. Do you continue to really feel that approach?
I feel he did have a fantastic palate. That was my rating primarily based purely on what they ate. Now, really having eaten all of these meals, I’m going to must do a second spherical. So I don’t know if he’s going to remain at primary, principally simply because… I imply, possum’s gonna ding ya, clearly.
How do you discover these recipes, and the way do you resolve which day you’re going to eat from?
I’ve obtained a set of possibly 4 or 5 dozen neighborhood cookbooks. Folks ship them to me now from throughout the nation, which is basically cool. The Congressional Cookbook Sequence is informative. The President’s Cookbook by Poppy Cannon and Patricia Brooks from 1968 varieties the idea of loads of my day by day consuming habits for the presidents. And Dinner with a President by Alex Prud’homme is a improbable e-book. I’ve used that as a useful resource just a few instances, notably for among the extra trendy presidents like Invoice Clinton and Barack Obama. After which there’s loads of archival newspapers. There was a fantastic New York Occasions piece on Jimmy Carter within the Seventies on his full consuming habits. That’s how I discovered he cherished crimson eye gravy on thick-cut ham and fried rooster and potato salad.
And so then you definately prepare dinner all this meals by your self? Do you’ve got assist?
I do all of the cooking myself. I might say I additionally do portion of the consuming myself. My spouse’s pescatarian and so is my daughter, and they also don’t bounce on the likelihood to check out squirrel stew.
Properly, it’s an excellent excuse to not.
But when the meals’s good, we eat it collectively, which is good. I’m doing all of the cooking myself at this level and I adore it. That’s such a enjoyable a part of it as a result of I’m attending to study new abilities. I’ve change into a greater residence chef due to this. Like, even making the dangerous meals, I began to grasp how a nasty recipe might be made completely scrumptious with only a couple tweaks right here or there.
Why did you begin Eat Like America?
I began that out of pure real curiosity. I imply, you can say it’s nosy, however I’m at all times like, “Properly, that is how I eat, however like how does everybody else eat?” You recognize, all these presidents and politicians have these unhinged diets and consuming habits, however like … how about the remainder of us on a regular basis folks? And what I discovered is basically approach much less unhinged, and it’s simply a lot enjoyable to attach with folks by meals in that approach. That’s such an exquisite factor that I didn’t anticipate even popping out of that sequence. And really, it exposes me to new meals I’d by no means tried earlier than.
Is there something you’ve added to your rotation to date, both from the congressional districts or from the presidents?
I’ve added the Cantonese scrambled eggs from the software program engineer in Florida. I’ve remade like three or 4 instances since then. I’ve additionally made Grace Coolidge’s, uh… the identify isn’t one of the best, it’s creamed rooster balls, however they’re primarily like rooster marsala croquettes. And it takes a very long time, however Herbert Hoover’s Ramos Gin Fizz is a superb drink. I at all times get excited when the presidents have cocktails on the menu.
So right here’s a query from my mother. I advised her about this entire mission, and she or he needed to know the way you’re managing your well being.
You’d be stunned, or possibly not, at what number of of us attain out with that query.
I’ve had an extended and complex relationship with meals. I used to be about 70 kilos heavier than I’m now. I simply form of ate my emotions, frankly, for a few years. And I had some what I might name disordered consuming with out being identified with it. I used to be in a position to, by loads of remedy and emotional assist and help, get by it and lose 70 kilos. And so I don’t take with no consideration the truth that I can sit down and eat 8,200 energy in a day and never fall again into that. So I feel that solutions a part of your query. The opposite reply is, I attempt to stroll loads. I stay in a really walkable city. I like train. And on my days off, I swear I’m going to do what I eat in a day, ‘trigger that has been the primary request for some time. Then folks can see it and have their emotions and opinions on it and be shocked at how a lot Greek yogurt I eat.
Do you’ve got guidelines for this mission?
I attempt to be clear with it. I’m such a stickler with it on these days, as a result of I need to be as genuine as I can to the expertise that they had been going by because the president. I’ve scrapped a whole day as a result of I tousled. However I’d reasonably get it proper than miss out on a key piece of data and a key piece of the expertise. So I do have that inner rule for myself. My spouse has advised me just a few instances, “Nobody would know when you simply…” And like, I do know, I do know, however I can’t.
On the Nixon dayI felt actually sorry for you with the entire ketchup and cottage cheese state of affairs. Had been you tempted to say, “Properly, did Nixon eat different issues for lunch? May I simply possibly keep away from this?” That may be very Nixonian, really.
Ketchup is the one factor that I actually simply don’t like. Ketchup on cottage cheese is certainly considered one of my least favourite issues I’ve ever eaten on this sequence. I chase that stuff although. I need to attempt the issues which might be somewhat bit unusual. So if I’ve a selection, I need to comply with the enjoyable. And to me, the enjoyable is like placing myself in a state of affairs the place I’ve to eat these issues that I don’t like. To not the purpose of dishonesty, clearly. So if this feature was, every single day Nixon both ate cottage cheese with ketchup or cottage cheese with pineapple, I’m going to select the ketchup as a result of it’s simply extra enjoyable to place myself in that state of affairs.
Oh, you’re a masochist then.
The humorous factor all through that is that I’m at all times asking, “How unhinged are these politicians for consuming ketchup with cottage cheese?” Now right here I’m consuming ketchup with cottage cheese. So, who’s extra unhinged, me or them? And, uh, nicely, in all probability we’re on the identical stage. Who is aware of? The depth is half the enjoyable for me. The truth that I obtained to have a quasi-spiritual expertise from Taft is — I used to be like, I can’t… A couple of days later, I used to be like, “Wow, that was wild. I’m so pleased I did that.”
Do you’ve got any suggestions like consuming like a president on the Fourth of July?
I want I had a cookbook out already, but it surely’s going to be a short while. However when you’ve obtained some adventurousness inside you and also you need to eat like a president on the Fourth of July, all you want is a squirrel man and a few containers of Jello and three to 4 hours of cooking time in a given day, and it’s a breeze.
I’ll maintain that in thoughts.
I’ll say one recipe price doing is a Thomas Jefferson recipe. I made it earlier than however I’m going to do it once more. It’s the drunken loaf, which is only a gigantic French bread soaked in wine and coated with mac and cheese on high. It’s decadent. And it’s a enjoyable one to make.
