Bush Administration Cooks: Part 1

US News and World Report, May 20, 2005  ----"Karl Rove and the U.S. military have something in common: They both agree with that old Napoleon Bonaparte saw that "an army marches on its stomach." That's right: Rove, the president's political and policy guru and White House deputy chief of staff, believes that he'll have a happy camp of senior workers if he keeps them well fed during meetings.
Turns out Rove isn't one of those guys who just dumps a box of Dunkin' Donuts on the conference table, as our bosses do. He fancies himself a chef and entertainer. "Karl loves to cook," says a pal.
And it's not just anything he serves to top Bush aides. His signature dish is called "eggies," a heart-stopping mix of eggs, melted butter, cheese, and bacon grease, all served with bacon and maybe Danish. The secret: whisking. "He's always there just whisking and whisking," we're told. Eggies are what lured key re-election campaign staffers to Rove's house every weekend for meetings last year. They also drew top Bushies to the White House mess recently when Rove took over the griddle.
This galloping gourmet isn't stuck on breakfast foods, either. Friends say he outdoes Marie Callender when it comes to pies. The secret here: handmade dough and no sugar; just fruit. "They're fantastic," says one of the family favorite, blueberry. "He can cook anything.""

Comments

[Cynthia]

Well, American government and tasty meals do have a long history, going back to Thomas Jefferson, who was a gourmet of the first order. (And Jefferson was around when Napoleon was talking about armies and stomachs.) But comfort food has also had a place in many administrations, from Jefferson's invention of mac and cheese to Lincoln's penchant for cornbread and a good cup of coffee. I think it's rather charming that there is someone at Rove's level who, instead of saying "let's do lunch," is saying "come on over to my place." I'd like to try one of those blueberry pies.

[Foodie]

Of course those gourmandes were presidents, and they probably didn't actually cook at all. While we know that Mr. Bush enjoys PB&J sandwiches, and Mexican food, does anyone know if he ever cooks? Evidently Dwight Eisenhower
was a good stew cook, made a mean apple pie, and enjoyed frying up trout he had caught.

[Cynthia]

Well, apparently W. is something of a foodie -- and does cook. Here's an excerpt from an piece Charles Grodin did for 60 Minutes:

Recently the first President Bush talked about having dinner with the family. "George cooked and Laura fixed the salad and I did the dishes, as I always do, and it was just like we were back in square one 25 or 30 years ago," said the first President Bush.

George cooked.

The new president does appear to be extremely interested in food. In a recent New York Times interview when asked what White House perks he expects to enjoy the most, he said, "Good food. They've got great food. The dessert menu is unbelievable."

[KathyF]

This confirms it: "His signature dish is called "eggies," a heart-stopping mix of eggs, melted butter, cheese, and bacon grease, all served with bacon and maybe Danish."

Karl Rove is the devil.