'Dinner with the President' author to visit Lakeport for Sun event

LACONIA — If heads of state are sitting down to a meal, how much does the menu matter? Quite a bit, in the eyes of journalist and historian Alex Prud’homme. The author of “Dinner with the President,” scheduled to give a lecture on the subject, said the dietary choices of America’s presidents tell us about who they are as humans, and how the way they use dining as a diplomatic tool can reveal their skill as politicians.

Prud’homme’s talk, also called “Dinner with the President,” will take place at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14 at the Lakeport Opera House. The event is hosted by The Laconia Daily Sun and sponsored by the Laconia Putnam Fund and Laconia Public Library. Tickets are free — but limited to two per person — and can be reserved at The Laconia Daily Sun office and Laconia library.

Prud’homme, the grandnephew of famed culinary giant Julia Child, became a published author when he helped her to finally finish her long-promised memoir, “My Life in France,” released shortly after her death. Success of that sparked a sequel, “The French Chef in America,” focused on Child’s years after returning to the U.S. after her years abroad.

While researching his great-aunt’s career, which included two state dinners at the White House, Prud’homme got a peek into the world of food at the country’s most powerful table, and he became engrossed.

“When I dug in, I was completely fascinated by the idea of presidential food,” Prud’homme said in a telephone interview. As he began to organize his notes for a book, “the hard part became deciding what not to use.”

By focusing on presidential meals, Prud’homme was able to put the country’s history on a plate. The start was inauspicious: George Washington and his men, foraging for wild game and mushrooms to stave off hunger in Valley Forge. Then there were the decadent feasts of Theodore Roosevelt and William Taft, men who Prud’homme said “nearly ate themselves to death.”

Later, presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon employed dining as a tool for international relations, known as “barbecue diplomacy” and "chopsticks diplomacy,” respectively.

Other presidents have used food as a way to communicate with the public. President Joe Biden makes no secret of his love of ice cream, something his press advisers surely feel makes him seem relatable, because who doesn’t like ice cream?

Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, drew the focus of media outlets when he welcomed the national champion college football team, the Clemson Tigers, to the White House, and served a feast of burgers, fries and pizza, all sourced from national chain restaurants. Much of the media attention was critical — after all, the young scholar-athletes could have had such food in any city in the country — but Prud’homme said that missed the point.

“When he heaped this congealing fast food on silver platters, ostensibly to celebrate the Clemson football team, he really celebrated himself,” Prud’homme said. “Think of him what you will, but it really celebrated him well. ... The images went around the world in 30 seconds. The message was, 'I like this food, you like this food, therefore, vote for me.'”

Prud'homme asserts that — though there are some notable exceptions — the president's aptitude with using appetite as a means of influence can indicate how successful he is at governing.

Presidential preferences can spread beyond the White House, Prud’homme found. When the Obamas put in a garden on the White House lawn as part of first lady Michelle Obama’s initiative to improve the nation’s eating habits, more Americans started gardening. And after Trump’s “burger banquet,” more Americans — both Republican and Democratic voters — felt they had permission to join the line at the drive-thru. Prud’homme said he sometimes gets pushback on this point at his talks, but he says he has the studies to support it.

“Anthony Bourdain always said 'There’s nothing more political than food,' and I agree with him. It touches every aspect of our lives,” Prud’homme said. “This book I’ve written is really about the food of politics, and politics of food. And it’s fascinating.”

The talking tour has attracted attendees of all persuasions, and that’s the way Prud’homme likes it.

“It’s been a pretty mixed group. This book seems to have touched a nerve with people,” he said. “I would encourage people from all points along the political spectrum to read the book and come to our talks.”

"The Laconia Daily Sun is proud to present this event as part of our commitment to promoting healthy civic discourse in our community. We hope that bringing Alex to Laconia to discuss a non-partisan book about such an interesting aspect of the American presidency can bring the community together to start listening to each other again," said Adam Hirshan, publisher of The Laconia Daily Sun, of why he decided to host the event. 

Along with the discussion of the book, the event also features complimentary desserts from Annie's Cafe & Catering, and a cash bar, with a special menu including a FDR Reverse Martini, made with five parts dry vermouth and one part gin. "Purists won't like it, but FDR and Julia Child did, so how bad can it be?" said Prud'homme of the drink. 

Copies of “Dinner with the President” are available at the library or Innisfree Bookshop in advance of the event, so attendees can be prepared for the discussion.  

So far, 165 tickets have been reserved for the event, which can accommodate 250 guests. If all tickets are reserved, there will be a standby line on the night of the event.

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