President Donald Trump has been remarkably successful at conquering most of the spheres of our lives. There is no disputing he has taken over government by controlling the executive branch, both houses of Congress, and a majority of the Supreme Court.
However, that was not enough for his acquisitive grasp. At the same time, he is seeking to dictate history. He has been removing historical exhibits from the Smithsonian and other institutions. He’s rewriting the nation’s narrative of slavery, the Civil War, and tribal massacres.
When it comes to the arts, he has fired members of the National Endowment for the Humanities, taken over John F. Kennedy Center management, sacked 40 staffers and redirected arts grants to fuel his proposed National Garden of American Heroes for next year’s 250th anniversary. He is dominating sports, inserting himself into the worlds of golf, tennis, and wrestling. Among his latest threats are taking away World Cup matches in Seattle and barring the Olympics from coming to Los Angeles.
Other arenas of public life into which he has barged include architecture, news, justice, education, medicine, and media. There also is a list of 250 words and terms that, by Trump’s order, are censored. No longer can federal agencies refer to carbon footprint, climate change, clean power, diverse backgrounds, and vulnerable populations. Nor can government use words like asexual, community, indigenous, minority, and pollution.
But although he has worked at controlling our lives and times, Trump has failed to subjugate one domain. That lone arena (out of all his spheres of influence) quite simply is food. While Trump remains wallowing in a diet of high-calorie debris, he hasn’t remotely altered the national diet.
His notion of ideal cuisine is an order of two Big Macs, two filet-o-fish, french fries, and a chocolate shake. When he goes formal, he might go as far as ordering an overdone steak, which he smothers in ketchup, accompanies with french fries, and washes down with diet Coke. The man clearly has no taste buds. He concludes banquet meals with vanilla ice cream — two scoops for him and a single scoop for those dining with him. Once when hosting China’s Xi Jinping at Mar-a-Lago, he did brag about “a most beautiful chocolate cake.”
Luckily the nation’s cuisine hasn’t been remotely touched by Trump. A current New York Times story heralded the nation’s 50 best dining spots. None show any MAGA influence. An example is a gourmet meal at Verjus in San Francisco, starting with a glass of grower champagne and featuring a Pacific version of classic ouefs manteiko, spiked with spicey pollock roe. Also offered are classics like leeks vinaigrette, boudin blanc, and steak au poivre.
Or take La’ ShuKran in Washington, D.C., which, according to a Times reviewer, “succeeds spectacularly” with a modern Levantine menu. The trout roe spills over the tops of jibneh-stuffed falafel, dumplings come plumped with fava beans, and whole fried quail is dunked in chili oil.
Just off the Loop in Chicago, Sanders BBQ Supply Company is famed for its oxtail gumbo, a soup-stew special with spoon-coating gravy. Diners are equally advised not to skip the rib tips with peach tea-smoked chicken wings.
The Wren in Baltimore has lovely seasonal fare: tender duck rillettes serve with a poke of gerkins and thick-cut bread. Or there’s smoky grilled leeks blanketed in anchovy butter, a soft spring onion omelet oozing with Lancashire cheese, followed by a flowery light apple cake.
After surveying the Times’ list of America’s 50 finest restaurants — many identified by downscale names like pub, bistro, snack bar, and barbecue — one can join with the nation’s best chefs and be thankful there are few culinary marvels befouled with ketchup.
Discover more from Post Alley
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
