by President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden’s restaurant order on a recent date night sparked heated debate, and it wasn’t because they ordered an elite meal with exotic ingredients.
The President and First Lady raised eyebrows as they dined at the famous Red Hen Restaurant because they ordered the exact same entrees.
Mr. and Mrs. Biden chose a chicory salad, grilled bread and butter, and two bowls of rigatoni, they reported The Washington Post.
And the President’s decision not to have a variety of appetizers to share has sparked a firestorm of culinary reactions.
“Getting the same as the person you’re having dinner with is silly,” Hannah Madden, a 24-year-old Washington native who raises funds for a political nonprofit, told the newspaper. “The whole point of eating out is to try as many things as possible.”
And she added: “At first I thought it’s funny that everyone is so twisted about it. And then I was like, ‘Oh wait, I’m in a bind on this one.’”
Chef and owner of The Red Hen, Michael Friedman, admitted that he too enjoyed the discussion of the President’s order.
“It’s a great honor to have a presidential visit, but it’s funny that that’s exactly what came out,” he said Post Office. “It’s a fascinating thread that people want to follow and I just really enjoy the banter.”
He says the rigatoni are the restaurant’s signature and they sell 50 to 70 orders a night.
“When I worked in the pasta line, I dreamed about it. But I’m still passionate about it because it’s loved from all over the world,” he said.
He admitted that he and his wife mainly ordered different dishes due to their particular tastes.
“I’m the guy who orders the offal while she gets the salmon. But maybe we would get the same thing if that’s what we both wanted,” he said.
Christine Gwinn, a 31-year-old lawyer, told the newspaper that she is being less stringent on the matter and that she and her husband have “soft guidelines” not to order the same court.
“If it’s our first visit to a restaurant, I would want to try more things,” she said. “But on a second or third visit, I don’t mind if we find something really tasty and one of us would be sad that we don’t have everything.”
The post The article prompted more than 1,300 comments, with many people saying the President and First Lady were right about ordering whatever they wanted, regardless of their partner’s choice.
“Eat what you love. If your 30-year-old partner happens to have the same tastes, then you probably made good choices on both fronts,” one commenter wrote.
“I would eat these rigatoni all day instead of a well done steak basted with ketchup,” wrote another in a shot at incumbent President Donald Trump.
But another commenter added: “My wife and I always find the 2 most appealing dishes on the menu. She gets one, I get the other, and we share.”
