The White House Garden: A Twofer

With the adoption of a healthier American lifestyle that the White House Garden models, we could knock a serious blow to two serious concerns:  obesity and spiraling health care costs .   All for $200--the reputed cost of installing the White House Garden.  Labor is on a volunteer basis and free unless you count in the cost of Sam Kass, the official garden keeper.  Sure there are plenty of externalized costs that Obama detractors will be  happy to calculate.  Like the costs of those cute yellow t-shirts the school kids all wear.    But given our frugal times, this can be held up as a paragon of government spending on any cost-benefit/impact analysis spreadsheet.  

I got published! NYT Amanda Hesser on Michelle Obama as Commander in Chef

So I kind of threw this out there thinking that getting published was a long-shot at best.  If I got lucky, perhaps I could inspire others.  What I have learned has worked for us and maybe it could help others too.  At worst, if left unpublished, I did it for myself, a personal manifesto of sorts expressing my gratitude and respect to Amanda for writing this and to Michelle, for being and staying Michelle.  

On any typical Sunday, Chris an I split the NYT...he gets the front page, sports and business, I get the magazine, book review and style section.  The rest is up for grabs.   We then proceed to drive each other slightly and not-so slightly mad -- reading from our respective sections.  Mind you I have a fairly limited time horizon for reading on Sunday's.  Basically one Charlie and Lola, which lasts about 30 minutes.  

Last Sunday's Amanda Hesser Op Ed stood out.  "You've GOT to respond to this...".  So I did. In under 250 words.

Here it is world!  My 2 cents.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/07/opinion/lweb07hesser.html?scp=4&sq=amanda%20hesser&st=cse

Amanda Hesser: Michelle Obama as Commander in Chef

Amanda Hesser wants Michelle Obama to cook.  

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/31/opinion/31hesser.html?scp=1&sq=the%20commander%20in%20chef&st=cse

It would be great if Michelle or Barak loved to cook.  But they don't.  One of the things that I think is just so likable about Michelle is that she doesn't seem to pretend to be anything but herself.  Barak too but that's a different subject for another blog.  

What MO does love is good food, and I love her for this AND especially for making it so public.  The previous WH residents apparently did so also--but kept this a well-guarded secret.  So huge kudos to them for saying yes to anti-industrial food in such a public manner.

Full disclosure, I am a fan of Amanda Hesser's.  She is the right person to write this op ed.  I do disagree that Michelle or anyone else needs to become a chef, or even be trained by a chef to learn to feed themselves and their family well.  Although I do think a chef is a far better than the conventional approach: a nutritionist or god forbid, a RD, Register Dietician.  I could go on and on about this...and will, but suffice to say right now...it's great to have this open for a true discussion.