"Bush Family Cookbook"

[jackal10]

http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/food_an...ticle329859.ece

"The Bush family's kitchen nightmares"

How to put this tactfully: perhaps the first family could have been better advised...

Alternatively maybe this shows how deeply they are in touch with the people..

Edited November 28, 2005 by jackal10 (log)

[Jason Perlow]

Alternatively maybe this shows how deeply they are in touch with the people..

Guys, I think this is a legit topic, but I would like to give some advance warning that the moment this thread turns political, we will remove posts without warning or notification.

Please stay within the bounds of food discussion, thanks.

[Della]

The article is hilarious! And it does sound as if the cookbook reads from the 50's. To each their own I guess but I wouldn't want to cook much less eat any of the receipes described in the article.

[Jason Perlow]

This is a review coming from the same country that enjoys eating mushy peas and invented the bastard that is Chicken Tikka Masala, so I would say people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Not every world leader has the culinary sophistication of say, Winston Churchill, or even Kim Jong Il for that matter.

I don't think a British paper really and truly understands that a lot of these dishes resonate very well with the common man -- just look at how popular Sandra Lee is -- it's very blue collar in concept. If the book was a political exercise -- which it probably was -- then it is likely serving the exact purpose the Bush family wants it to play. Some WASP-y lockjawed New England old-money cookbook (which likely would have done very well in the Kennedy era) probably wouldn't resonate that well in this day in age with the American public, although I think that version is probably much closer to reality of the Bush family than Campbells condensed soup casseroles are.

[malcolmjolley]

For a liberal Canadian take, see Leah McLaren's piece Saturday's Globe & Mail..

[jackal10]

Alternatively maybe this shows how deeply they are in touch with the people..

Guys, I think this is a legit topic, but I would like to give some advance warning that the moment this thread turns political, we will remove posts without warning or notification.

Please stay within the bounds of food discussion, thanks.

←

Is this representative of family cuisine in the US today?

Anyone really cook like this still?

Is it foolish for celebs (other than chefs and cooks) to publish cookery books?

[Jason Perlow]

Alternatively maybe this shows how deeply they are in touch with the people..

Guys, I think this is a legit topic, but I would like to give some advance warning that the moment this thread turns political, we will remove posts without warning or notification.

Please stay within the bounds of food discussion, thanks.

←

Is this representative of family cuisine in the US today?

Anyone really cook like this still?

Yes, many families still cook like this. Especially at the lower income scale. It's one of the reasons why educating people on how to eat well is such an important component of the eGullet Society Mission Statement.

That doesn't mean, however, that the occasional dish of White Castle Stuffing during Thanksgiving isn't necessarily bad, either.

[Jason Perlow]

For a liberal Canadian take, see Leah McLaren's piece Saturday's Globe & Mail..

←

This is the same columnist who derisively referred to eGullet as a Gourmetocracy and "Food Blue Bloods" a year or two ago -- and clearly The eGullet Society is anything but exclusive to the food snob or haute cuisine point of view. Maybe I am completely off base here, but I think she likes to point fingers and making snap judgements of anyone she pleases without having any ideological compass or having done any informed research whatsoever.

Edited November 28, 2005 by Jason Perlow (log)

[TPO]

Yes, many families still cook like this. Especially at the lower income scale.

I would venture a guess, however, that it is uncommon for families with personal chefs to eat this way. But since the Bush family isn't known for being adventurous (not meant as a criticism), it doesn't surprise me that their favorite meals come from decades-old recipes.

[Jason Perlow]

I seriously, seriously doubt the Bush family actually eats like this on a regular basis. The recipes have to be archival at best.

[malcolmjolley]

For a liberal Canadian take, see Leah McLaren's piece Saturday's Globe & Mail..

←

This is the same columnist who derisively referred to eGullet as a Gourmetocracy a year or two ago -- and clearly The eGullet Society is anything but exclusive to the food snob point of view. Maybe I am completely off base here, but I think she likes to point fingers and making snap judgements of anyone she pleases without having any ideological compass or having done any informed research whatsoever.

←

I don't think this meant to be taken too seriously.

[Full disclosure: Leah's a friend of mine.]

[TPO]

I seriously, seriously doubt the Bush family actually eats like this on a regular basis. The recipes have to be archival at best.

Maybe these dishes aren't made on a regular basis, but when they are served at Jeb Bush's inauguration, I think they are common.

I thought this brief Q&A with the author was interesting:

The Dish on the Bushes

I wouldn't mind checking out the recipes Prince Bandar contributed to the cookbook.

[JohnnyH]

I'm pretty sure W orders off the kiddy menu. Mac n' cheese, grilled cheese with the crusts cut off, that kind of thing. Also, none of his food can touch anything else on the plate.

[azureus]

Is this representative of family cuisine in the US today?

Anyone really cook like this still?

←

From weddings to funerals, from church potlucks to summer picnics, 50's-style cooking has always been in style in Mid-western America. The greater the number of people in attendance, the more likely you are to see dishes prepared with mayonnaise, cold pasta, kool-whip, or jello. These ingredients might all arrive in the same dish. I doubt that the average Mid-westerner could even name a celebrity chef. They certainly wouldn't be familiar with their dishes.

My husband's family is typical. Pasta salads dripping with mayonnaise are present at every family gathering. Vegetables must be cooked until they are mushy and grey. I've never been able to get my husband to eat vegetables with any sort of crunch to them. Don't ask me about his aunt's Thanksgiving turkey last year. His mother once served me spaghetti sauce made with canned tomatoes and ketchup. My husband considers cooking and eating to be a chore. One good friend buys boxed sugar cookie mixes because making the dough from scratch is too difficult!

Those who prepare these foods consider themselves to be good cooks. Why not? It's what they know, they learned it from their parents, they feed it to everyone that they know, and most people here are happy with it. For better or worse, this is "cuisine" for many in the Mid-west, and they aren't giving it up any more easily than someone in France or Italy will give up their traditional foods.

That said, has anyone seen the Bush Family Cookbook? You'd think that there would be recipes for some good Texas barbeque.

April

Snowed-in in South Dakota

[Jason Perlow]

That said, has anyone seen the Bush Family Cookbook? You'd think that there would be recipes for some good Texas barbeque.

For Presidential Texas 'Q, you want to look at LBJ, not Bush. Its well documented.

Walter Jetton wrote a LBJ Barbecue Cook Book in the early 60's. Its way out of print, but some of the recipes are on the 'net.

http://www.grilldome.com/cgi-bin/GDForum/s...i?tpc=8&post=35

[JohnnyH]

I actually saw a feature piece on the white house cook (notice I didn't write chef) not too long ago. Though he learned his trade in the military -- I believe in the Navy -- he was quite proud of the fact that he really doesn't have much professional training. The military can, and has, turned out top-notch chefs; this guy ain't one of 'em and he's happy to boast about it.

[Jason Perlow]

The very best chefs in the Navy come out of the Submarine corps. Actually, I'd love to get one of those guys onto the site and learn some of their recipes.

[Patrick S]

I'm pretty sure W orders off the kiddy menu. Mac n' cheese, grilled cheese with the crusts cut off, that kind of thing. Also, none of his food can touch anything else on the plate.

←

I wonder if the book has a recipe for pretzels?

Edited November 28, 2005 by Patrick S (log)

[Jason Perlow]

BTW, Pretzels in the UK are no laughing matter. You can't find a bag of them to save a dip, anywhere in that country. Maybe its the German thing, I dunno. They're a little touchy when it comes to Germans for some reason.

[Jaymes]

That said, has anyone seen the Bush Family Cookbook?  You'd think that there would be recipes for some good Texas barbeque.

Haven't seen the cookbook, but I personally would be surprised to see any "recipes for some good Texas barbeque."

Bush does love BBQ, of course, as do most Texans, but he has his catered by these nice folks: Cooper's BBQ in Llano, Texas.

[Daniel]

For a liberal Canadian take, see Leah McLaren's piece Saturday's Globe & Mail..

←

This is the same columnist who derisively referred to eGullet as a Gourmetocracy a year or two ago -- and clearly The eGullet Society is anything but exclusive to the food snob point of view. Maybe I am completely off base here, but I think she likes to point fingers and making snap judgements of anyone she pleases without having any ideological compass or having done any informed research whatsoever.

←

I don't think this meant to be taken too seriously.

[Full disclosure: Leah's a friend of mine.]

←

It sounds from Leah's story her guests might have enjoyed the food if she cooked it properly.. To blame a cookbook for under cooking the recipes i.e the green beans and the chicken with pink liquid oozing from it, seems wrong to do..

edit to add:

Jason did you make the White Castle Stuffing this year for Thanksgiving?

Edited November 28, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[Jason Perlow]

Jason did you make the White Castle Stuffing this year for Thanksgiving?

Yes, and it was a huge hit. The phrases "Oh my God this is so good" and "This is the best thing I have ever tasted in my entire life" were bandied about the table at least a dozen times.

When and if eGullet does its Holiday Cookbook, I'll be sure it makes it into the short list.

[Pontormo]

Does anyone know who approached whom when the idea for this cookbook was first explored?

That's what interests me.

If it is purely a vanity-type of project initiated by Guzman himself, it's not very compelling, although the ready participation of the rest of the Bush family lends a bit of a hmmm factor.

To me, the book presents the Bushes in a way that sharply contrasts with the so-called Kennedy dynasty, or at least makes the family seem down-to-earth and "of the people" despite their continuing friendship with royalty.

While the Kennedys may have held clam bakes on the beach of Cape Cod, it is hard to think about them without conjuring up the elegant, classy European distinction that we associate with Jacqueline Kennedy and her role as First Lady. Her love of French culture, in particular, probably helped establish a receptivity for Julia Child's contributions to food and cooking in the United States.

The Clintons? Bill's now well known for switching to a more healthful, heart-friendly way of life, aided by the South Beach diet. We all remember what happened when Hillary made a casual remark about not staying home to bake cookies. Together, the pair presents an image that may be off-putting for those who are not fans of fresh green beans, or perhaps now have switched to fresh but still coat them lovingly in Campbell's mushroom soup and top them with French's canned crispy onion thingies.

The new cookbook is right up there with the autobiography of Millie the Dog. It serves a similar purpose.

As to whether or not U.S. citizens still eat this way, I'd say we are a complex, multifarious people. I have seen a young soldier still dressed in fatigues standing in the aisle at Whole Foods pulling canned vegetables off the shelves and putting them in his basket, probably wondering why folk in D.C. pay so much for green beans. I was tempted to go up to him and lead him back to the produce section where they cost less than half the price, but practiced restraint. At least he was planning to eat a green vegetable.

Edited November 28, 2005 by Pontormo (log)

[Daniel]

Jason, you are a champion.. That really looks so good and I applaud the move to bust something like that out on Thanksgiving..

[bergerka]

Thanks a lot, Grandma Pierce's savory jello mold salad thingy, dressed with seafood, has sent me cowering under the bed with the ferrets and a bottle of gin again. I left Kansas to get AWAY from crap like that!

K