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Survey
Michael White
Executive chef and partner, Alto and Convivio
Politics: Undecided. “Anything can happen. Look at John Edwards.”
What he’d make for McCain: “Obviously, for me, it’s pasta. They need energy for the last leg of the race. For McCain, probably a spicy pasta, because he seems like kind of an angry guy. Pasta alla arrabbiata.”
What he’d make for Obama: “Obama spent a lot of time in the Midwest, where I’m from, so I’d make him something for the cold-weather months, something baked, like lasagna. Pasta al forno.”
Sue Torres
Executive chef, Los Dados and Sueños
Politics: “Obama, baby!”
What she’d make for McCain: “A bologna sandwich on white bread...Or I’d take some dog food and make a chili. I’d call it Chihuahua Chili and it would taste good.”
What she’d make for Obama: “I would make him my grandfather’s recipe for seafood callaloo (spinach, onion, garlic, okra, fish, shrimp, scallops, conch, achiote, red chili, thyme, parsley and vinegar), because it’s comfort Caribbean food and Obama seems like a cool cat.”
Ildefonso Hernandez
Short-order cook, Starlight Restaurant & Diner
Politics: Likes Obama. “He’s young, but he has experience.”
What he’d make for Obama: “I’d make him my best: stuffed shrimps with crabmeat, garlic, basil and olive oil.”
What he’d make for McCain: “That’s my favorite dish, so I’d make it for McCain, too. They’re both nice people. I’d like to do my best for them both.”
Craig Samuel
Co-owner, Smoke Joint and Peaches
Politics: “Obama’s my guy.”
What he’d make for McCain: “When I think of McCain, the first thing that comes to mind is his time as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. I’d make him one of my favorite things in the world: banh mi, a Vietnamese sandwich. For dessert, I’d give him a green Jell-O mold and then a shot of Jim Beam.”
What he’d make for Obama: “I’d wrap some pulled pork in bacon, and then follow with a pork dessert; ice cream in a dish rubbed with bacon fat. So he could say, ‘Look, I’m eating pork. Can we kill the Muslim thing now?’ ”
Jacques Pépin
Dean of special programs, the French Culinary Institute
Politics: “I’m an Obama man. In the 50 years I’ve been in this country, our current President is the worst I’ve ever seen.”
What he’d make for McCain: “I would give him some vichyssoise with pureed turnips…to be sure he could eat it. I’m not sure he has many teeth left.”
What he’d make for Obama: “A smorgasbord. But I read that he likes pizza, so I would include an international pizza with slices from Italy, France, Germany, Japan and Russia.”
Erik Blauberg
Consulting chef at B.B. King’s Blues Club & Grill and Blue Note. Blauberg has cooked for three U.S. Presidents.
Politics: “I would have voted for Hillary. But now that she’s out of the picture, I’m voting for McCain.”
What he’d make for McCain: “When I cooked for Bloomberg, he told me, ‘I’m not into gourmet food; I’m into meat and potatoes.’ So I would make [McCain] a porterhouse steak, garlic mashed potatoes and glazed carrots.”
What he’d make for Obama: “I think he would be more on the healthy, creative side. I’d make a warm salad of chicory and radicchio with balsamic. For an entree, I’d do sauteed Dover sole with artichokes, green beans, and tomato.”
Eileen Hope
Fri, Aug 22, at 08:42am
I ,like Blauberg have changed parties in mid-stream. Part of Obama strategy was to have people believe McCain was a second Bush, swaying more votes his way. Then Obama next strategy was to have the voters believe that McCain was going senile when asked the question,"how many homes do you own" and he didnt' know. the fact is his wife is the wealthy one and has many homes in which McCain didn't think it was suppose to be the focus point for this campaign
His focus is on the troubled economy.
Montrachet
Wed, Aug 20, at 02:21pm
I hope the broader media picks up on Jacques Pepin's comments and holds him accountable. If Pepin was mocking McCain's loss of teeth due to beatings by the Viet Cong, then Pepin is just a disgraceful individual. If his comments were just a "jocular jab at a geriatric" as Craig Samuels suggests, then readers should know that Pepin was born in 1935 which makes him OLDER THAN MCCAIN!
Al Lawson
Wed, Aug 20, at 01:41pm
Is Erik Blauberg insane? Let's see, he wanted Clinton, but gosh darn, she didn't make it to the finals, so instead of voting for the guy who agrees with her on 95% of the issues, he's gonna votes for the guy who disagrees with her on 95%, and used her name (along with the rest of the Republicans) as the butt of jokes throughout the Republican primary. I'm curious why Blauberg votes in the first place, since the actual issues don't appear to be of any importance to him.
Bklynstuff
Wed, Aug 20, at 12:32pm
And KellyJ, don't assume what my politics are just because I am not single sighted, having the ability to look at various sides of a situation. I actually like(d) McCain, Obama, and Clinton, each for their various strengths. The fact that I can understand that everything that ends up in print isn't exactly a flawless interpretation, and know that it's that which appears the most sensational that will end up in print anyway, has nothing to do with politics and everything common sense.
Bklynstuff
Wed, Aug 20, at 12:21pm
KellyJ, I think you missed my point. Who knows whether or not Mr. Pepin actually knew the extent of the injuries suffered by Senator McCain? Are you assuming that Pepin knew about the Senator's severe dental injuries and made the joke in spite of it? I once made the mistake of joking with a friend about the colors that he had decided to put on. I brazenly asked him, "What are you, COLOR BLIND??" His reply was a good humored, "Yes." Ooops. I didn't know. Maybe Pepin didn't know either.
wells
Wed, Aug 20, at 11:23am
One thing I find telling is that the cooks who support McCain are eager to cook their best for BOTH candidates.
KellyJ
Wed, Aug 20, at 09:55am
Bklynstuff, it's beyond insensitive (to people who have any sense, at least) to make such a reference about someone whose teeth were lost in beatings. What's next, cooking Bob Dole a meal he'd give his right arm for? Oh wait, Dole's old too, and some old people lose the use of their limbs. And he's a Republican. So I guess it's OK.
Craig Samuel pt.1
Wed, Aug 20, at 09:16am
As I bubble up from the subhuman depths to offer my insight I can only hope that the enlightened commenters responding to soundbites can understand that humor, when viewed through the lens of political rhetoric, can sometimes seem more angry than intended (as senator McCain sometimes does: http://www.salon.com/news/1998/06/25newsb.html )
Craig Samuel pt.1
Wed, Aug 20, at 09:15am
No, no hatred for McCain here. I actually admire his bi-partisan antics, the dedication that he has shown in duty, and his refusal to bow to pressure, from his time in the military through the majority of his political service. He does seem a little “conservativey” lately, though.
What do I hate is pure partisanship and green Jell-O molds (the kind with grapes and pineapples in it). I’m not even sure if Monsieur Pepin was talking about McCain’s actual dental issues, but the age percept dental loss
Craig Samuel pt.1
Wed, Aug 20, at 09:15am
Listen, my mom and McCain are the same age and she has a few “post-original teeth” (and likes green Jell-O). Oops. Did I just throw my mother under the bus? I’m just saying that it’s possible that Jacques’ joke was just a jocular jab at a geriatric.
Ps. My interview included fifteen minutes of conversation and more than fifteen dishes mentioned. I think I also advised Barack Hussein against eating any Middle Eastern food for a few months. Oh. And I love bahn mi.
Bklynstuff
Wed, Aug 20, at 09:03am
Uh, people, the Jacques Pepin "teeth" quip was obviously about age. We all know Senator McCain is a man of advanced years. People make old man jokes about him everyday and it appears that Mr. Pepin was just following suit. On a side note, Jacques Pepin is not responsible for knowing all the injuries Senator McCain sustained as a prisoner. Jeesh. Sue Torres just has no sense of humor. Craig Samuel isn't "subhuman". I like green Jello and I mean, war prisoner or not, who can hate Vietnamese food?
Some Guy
Wed, Aug 20, at 08:44am
So, Ms. Torres, are you saying that your cooking is indistinguishable from dog food?
Or are you saying you have given your customers dog food before and have a recipe for it?
I really can't think of a way that Ms. Torres' answer could possibly reflect well on her as the chef her patrons trust not to tamper with their food.
Victoria
Wed, Aug 20, at 03:08am
Kudos to the short-order cook for his gracious reply, proving yet again that you don't have to be a snooty French chef to have class. Idelfonso, you can cook for me anytime. M. Pepin, go shuck yourself.
orthodoc
Wed, Aug 20, at 02:13am
Hey Jacques,
That's great - really funny! I get it - it's because McCain's old! Whew, busted a gut on that one. You do know why McCain has dental problems, right? Because the North Vietnamese beat the hell out of him for years. But don't worry about that - you're funny!
Adrian
Wed, Aug 20, at 12:42am
Craig Samuel sounds like a true subhuman as well.
What horrific, purebred hatred these people exhibit.
Kerry from Chicago
Wed, Aug 20, at 12:14am
I'm sorry, but I laughed out loud when I read Ildefonso's comment "He's young but he has experience." What experience? The man was elected to the Senate in 2004.
headrock
Tue, Aug 19, at 11:31pm
Funny how the "Short-order cook" was by far the most magnanimous in accepting a silly magazine challenge that was ripe for a rabid Pavlovian response. As said below, stay classy Jacques!
What a sad, sorry, small human. To be French and have the gall to mock a US serviceman should be grounds for immediate deportation.
David in San Diego
Tue, Aug 19, at 11:04pm
So nice to see Miss Torres and Mr. Pépin so classy in their comments towards Senator McCain.
Which is why I live in classless San Diego.
Ryan
Tue, Aug 19, at 10:54pm
Nice nasty comments from some of the Obama supporters.... Dog food chili and making fun of McCain's teeth (as pointed out by others, his teeth were broken by the North Vietnamese) Maybe he wants to make some cracks about cooking with a gas oven to a Holocaust survivor for his next trick?
Reed
Tue, Aug 19, at 10:52pm
Mr. Pepin's description on the FCI website says "With his combination of personal warmth, humor, and extraordinary experience and knowledge, Chef Jacques has been a powerful presenter and priceless resource at The FCI since 1988." I find myself wondering how much of the website contains similar errors...
poldon
Tue, Aug 19, at 10:47pm
My my. The charming and urbane Chef Pepin has an ugly, nasty mess seething under the crusty surface of that pot on the back burner. My distaste at this recollection will require that his several cookbooks in my collection find new homes elsewhere, perhaps for best at the trash dump. I really thought highly of the guy.
cavsct94
Tue, Aug 19, at 10:33pm
Disgusting, hateful comments by Jacques and Sue. Real classy and mature...
Jacques' comments are particularly bad, given McCain's experience as a POW.
Exurban Jon
Tue, Aug 19, at 08:42pm
Chef Pepin, here is how Sen. McCain lost so many of his teeth:
“In 1968 he was offered early release, and when he refused, because others had been there longer, his captors went at him again; he suffered cracked ribs, teeth broken off at the gum line, and torture with ropes that lashed his arms behind his back and that were progressively tightened all through the night.”
-- Source: Vanity Fair, February 2007
Not only are you older than McCain, you are far, far more hateful.
exurbanleague.com
Craig
Tue, Aug 19, at 08:18pm
Years ago someone gave me a Jacques Pepin cookbook. I haven't made any recipes from it yet. Now I may never.
Very classy, Mssr. Pepin. Fifty years in this country and you can make jokes about a man's torture. You aren't worthy of tying McCain's shoes, let alone popping a Swanson's in the microwave for him. (And I'm no McCain fan.)
Hans Blix
Tue, Aug 19, at 08:08pm
Ms. Torres, may be an "executive chef", but she certainly is a first class blowhard with her noxious and fatuous response as to what she'd serve McCain. Perhaps Ms. Torres isn't acquainted with a historic dish called "humble pie" - look it up sometime Ms. T.
As for Mister Pépin, well, he's French, apparently. We still make allowances for the French in this country.
Nemo Dat
Tue, Aug 19, at 07:53pm
It takes real class to turn a fun, admittedly political, question in to a disgusting personal attack. So, stay classy, Jacques and Sue! Stay classy.
BarryHO
Tue, Aug 19, at 07:51pm
Given how bad Sue Torres crappy food sucks, how would anyone know the difference between one of her inedible entrees and dog food? As for Pepin, I would think a cowardly Frenchman--and after all, we went to Vietnam to clean up their mess--would think twice before mocking a brave man like McCain. In any case, Pepin's food is also low grade garbage. He should do the wold a favor and stick his head in an oven.
John
Tue, Aug 19, at 07:49pm
And to think that it's the French who colonized Vietnam and created the firestorm that led to McCain's capture.
In this country for 50 years, and he knows nothing about its history or the people who have fought for it. What a shame, that Pepin!
AskAlice
Tue, Aug 19, at 07:27pm
Let Mr. Pepin know that Sen McCain donated his teeth to the Viet Cong. They've since been replaced. Perhaps he can think of something else to prepare.
a
Tue, Aug 19, at 07:26pm
Loved Pepin's comment: perhaps he could hover over McCain during the meal and make snide comments about how it's a shame that his North Vietnamese torturers left McCain any teeth at all.
French Culinary Institute, right?
