No Beets Will Grow in the White House's Organic Vegetable Garden?
Now that Michelle Obama has announced that there will be an organic garden planted on the White House lawn, I'm sure the Edible Schoolyard's Alice Waters will be doing some serious dancing in the streets of Berkeley. To be sure, it is an incredibly exciting, maybe even seminal, moment in the evolution of our nation's food culture. But Marian Burros' story in the Times did reveal a hole in President Obama's food game. The man doesn't like beets, so there aren't going to be any beets grown on the White House lawn.
C'mon, serious eaters, don't you think the Prez needs to get over himself and start to dig beets? Perhaps he needs a copy of Jeffrey Steingarten's The Man Who Ate Everything so that he can overcome what I am sure is a lifelong aversion to beets. Most of us hated beets when we were growing up, Mr. President. That's because all we were served horrendous canned beets that turned all the other food on our plates red.
Won't you join me in imploring our first family to plant some beets in their garden?
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49 Comments:
I am happy to hear about the vegetable garden, and somehow even happier that this happened without a direct connection to Alice Waters.
JudgeFudge at 11:48AM on 03/20/09
The prez definitely couldn't be a Schrute.
lawofmurphy at 11:55AM on 03/20/09
Some people just don't like beets. I've never had a canned beet in my life and I truly detest the fresh ones. They smell like grandmothers.
ProfessorChaos at 12:03PM on 03/20/09
Maybe he could be pursuaded to try golden beets first and then they could introduce red beets.
JudyH at 12:07PM on 03/20/09
Picky picky picky. Let's be happy there is a garden at the White House rather than worry about how they excluded one of the thousands of types of vegetables that could be grown there. Lots of people don't like beets, no big deal.
I wager they aren't growing parsnips there either...
cxg231 at 12:07PM on 03/20/09
Maybe he suffers from beeturia.
from Wikipedia...."Beeturia is passing of red or pink urine after eating beets. It affects 10-14% of the population."
Bosmer at 12:09PM on 03/20/09
come on! Can't we just be happy that they are going to plant a garden. We all have foods we could do without. President Obama doesn't have to like beets and he doesn't need to hear from anyone on why he should plant them in his garden. Have a nice day and pass it on to others!
kevlney at 12:13PM on 03/20/09
i agree -- happy that there is a garden at all. as long as they're not growing corn to turn into high fructose corn syrup, i couldn't care less what's in their veggie patch. can't we just count this as a victory and move on?
mh330 at 12:23PM on 03/20/09
This is a very, very weird post.
simon at 12:26PM on 03/20/09
I am thrilled that there is going to be an organic vegetable garden on the White House lawn. I was just trying to have some fun with the news. If President Obama doesn't like beets, so be(et) it.
Ed Levine at 12:29PM on 03/20/09
hehehehe... I can't get behind the pro-beet stance.... one of the few veggies I have tried several times and I just can't get into them. They always taste like dirt to me. All Hail those who like beets...but not me.
Alm25 at 12:31PM on 03/20/09
beets do taste like dirt. So does sea urchin roe, and it's considered a delicacy. i used to hate them, but a good salad of red and golden beets, arugula, goat cheese, and toasted pumpkin seeds with a light vinagrette converted me to their side.
mr guy at 12:42PM on 03/20/09
I am becoming more and more convinced that liking (or not liking) beets is a genetic thing. Much like cilantro. To the people who have the "beet liking" gene, they taste fine. To those of us who don't, they will always taste like dirt.
I eat beets now. I have numerous recipes for beets on my blog. But that doesn't mean I really LIKE them. I eat them because I'm a locavore and some months, they are the majority of what's available and seasoned well enough, I tolerate them (and I know they are good for me). But if the President of the United States doesn't want to eat beets, then he shouldn't eat beets. I think if you get to be President, you've earned the right not to eat something you just don't like. Well, unless it is at some sort of head of state dinner where he'd offend a visiting dignitary by not trying their country's signature dish or something.
Really, I'm just so happy that Michelle Obama is willing to take on the cause of local, healthy, and organic eating that even if all she plants is carrots, I'm still thrilled.
cooklocal at 12:50PM on 03/20/09
High Five Obama! I hate beets... Blech.
annabanannas at 12:56PM on 03/20/09
Ed may or may not have written this post just so he could make a beet pun later.
Erin Zimmer at 1:06PM on 03/20/09
he should try rick's picks phat beets - they are delicious! might change his mind. http://rickspicksnyc.com/jar.php?jar=7
j at 1:16PM on 03/20/09
I'm sorry... you're complaining because the president doesn't like beets? I like beets well enough, but this is ridiculous.
The man isn't allowed to have preferences?
kitchenhacker at 1:17PM on 03/20/09
I recently tried beets again and realized that I actually like them...a lot. However, I wouldn't push this newly discovered love for beets on anyone else. Good for the Obamas for starting a vegetable garden, and if they don't like beets, don't grow them. If I were president and everyone started wanting me to eat kimchi...yeah, I still wouldn't eat it.
cycorider at 1:24PM on 03/20/09
Doesn't the soil have to be pesticide free for several years to be certified orgainic? I'm curious about how they have orgainic soil at the white house (although I guess they can truck it in).
artychoke at 1:30PM on 03/20/09
Oh no! They aren't planting parsnips! Or cauliflower! Or squash, even! No cucumbers! What about garlic?!
You can only plant so many things in a garden. Beets aren't a notable omission.
kitchenhacker at 1:31PM on 03/20/09
Not really. I sympathize, entirely, I've tried beets and think they're disgusting. On the other hand, you could grow your own vegetable garden, with beets, and let the First Family have their own garden.
Erisian Saint at 1:36PM on 03/20/09
Down with beets. Long live the heirloom tomato!
(Seriously, if you had to devote a patch of your garden to something, would you pick a beet over a pepper or a berry?)
pookywookyster at 1:40PM on 03/20/09
It's interesting they've chosen not to plant beets, but there are a lot of veggies I am sure won't be in there. After all, don't we all plant what we want in our own gardens? I don't think we need to beet him over the head with it.
juliebugsmama at 1:55PM on 03/20/09
The man is quite old enough to decide what food he likes or doesn't like. Doesn't he have enough stress without being forced to eat food he doesn't care for? Nothing is stopping *you* from planting them in *your own* garden...
MollieBeth at 2:02PM on 03/20/09
Presidential aversions to certain vegetables are not new.
"I do not like broccoli. And I haven't liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. And I'm President of the United States and I'm not going to eat any more broccoli."
--George H. W. Bush
Chou Peng Qart at 2:14PM on 03/20/09
I'm tired of being treated like an under-traveled hick when I don't like a particular food. (And yes, I've had beets straight out of the garden and out of a can.) People can have preferences and everyone should just stop making it an issue. I'm rather indifferent about beets, certainly not something I'd grow myself but I'll eat them sometimes when I'm out.
I don't think I'd have much respect for a president who had no opinions.
It's their garden, in the sense that they're going to eat what's grown in it, so it's really none of our business. I get that everyone's curious, but give the family some slack, a personal diet is not a democracy.
That said, I hope our president is diplomatic enough that he'd eat them if served at a function, just like Queen Elizabeth II did when served gibnut (rat) in Belize.
Cybele at 2:21PM on 03/20/09
So he doesn't like beets... big deal. Leave the guy alone people. He has the right to not like them... sheesh
ronzoni at 2:26PM on 03/20/09
If given a chance to list foods I won't eat, it would be limited to offal and beets - but I recently made beets for myself and I liked them! Why after 37 years of hating beets did I like them? Because my beet experiences had been boiled beets, leeking all over my plate, coloring everything and they tasted like muddy water.
But, last year my boyfriend grew some in his garden and was so proud of them, I couldn't turn my nose up at them. So I roasted them and to my surprise, they were very nice. Won't ask for them every day, but I no longer "hate" beets.
potroast at 2:56PM on 03/20/09
Give the man a break! It doesn't always have to be about "educating" sometimes it's about respecting what other like or don't like.
gtrine at 2:58PM on 03/20/09
I thought I hated beets. And cabbage. As the article points out, as kids, we were forced to eat them cooked to death or canned. Then a few years ago I toured around in eastern Europe, where such hearty vegetables are king. I now love beets. And cabbage.
If Obama can consider opening his mind to a dialog with Muslim extremist regimes, he can consider opening his mind to a dialog with beets.
Lorenzo at 3:21PM on 03/20/09
Maybe he's never tried garlic roasted beets drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with feta. That might change his mind.
bitchinlifestyle at 5:05PM on 03/20/09
@artychoke - Growing something organically is different than being Certified Organic. To be certified organic, the soil has to be free of certain compounds for several years, and I believe inspected annually. It is very time consuming and incredibly expensive. The Obamas are not claiming to have a Certified Organic garden, they are simply growing their garden organically, (i.e. the same way a Certified Organic farm would, but without the certification).
Next time you are at your local farmer's market, ask the purveyors how they grow their produce. You might be surprised to find that some of them grow their produce organically, they just can't market it that way because they can't afford the certification.
ProfessorChaos at 5:09PM on 03/20/09
Mmm...beets. Well, at least he doesn't think ketchup is a vegetable.
marchpane at 5:35PM on 03/20/09
Seriously?! Beets are the pressing agenda here? I would love to see some more space given at Serious Eats to ANYTHING other than this vapid post. Really. Give the poor guy a chance to deal with two wars, the recession, the general level of poverty, hunger, homophobia, racism, (insert any-ism here), etc. Be glad the garden got any press to begin with, and give some props. Of course, beets are delicious. So are ramps--no mention of them. Add your fave veggie here ad-nauseum. Run another article about the stupid Kogi truck.
bruisedbuddha at 6:09PM on 03/20/09
I hope everyone who read my post understands that it was meant as a light repast and not as an indictment of Obama. In actuality I don't mind in the slightest if a fresh or canned beat never passes through his lips.
Ed Levine at 6:13PM on 03/20/09
I meant to say "ever" passes through his lips, not "never."
Ed Levine at 6:16PM on 03/20/09
I happen to love beets, but I don't like Brussels Sprouts. Everyone is entitled not to like something.
IndyGal at 6:41PM on 03/20/09
who cares
gaucholoco at 7:47PM on 03/20/09
So, Ed, what you're saying is that you don't want President Obama to eat beets, just to grow them?
I'm a little lost here - was this flame/troll bait or something?
Cybele at 7:50PM on 03/20/09
There was a really hilarious episode of The West Wing when the president's aide told a cook not to make beans, because the president hated beans, and it caused a HUGE debacle with bean farmers and bean advocates. The episode concluded with one of the advisers essentially saying "Isn't it ok for the president not to like beans, and won't people understand that just because he doesn't like beans doesn't mean that he dislikes beans as a vegetable? Aren't the American people smart enough to realize that not everybody loves every food, and move on?"
This is exactly like that episode.
Jacqueline at 9:23PM on 03/20/09
I am not a fan of telling the president to eat 1 vegetable type he doesnt like. if he didnt like any and there was a risk that he was going to be ill, then speak up. otherwise, whatever.
and the west wing episode was after Bush (papa) said he didnt like broccolli and there was an up-roar over that.
blizcheetah at 11:19PM on 03/20/09
Yay for the Presidential veggie garden. Beets make me gag - @cooklocal may be right, maybe its a genetic thing. But there's plenty of other good stuff to plant in DC, and don't forget the fresh local goodies at the Eastern Market and elsewhere.
pourgirl at 11:58PM on 03/20/09
Beets taste like dirt.
shoneyjoe at 8:30AM on 03/21/09
Most of you are too young to remember a similar broccoli furor that erupted when the first Pres. Bush admitted to hating that vegetable (Chou Peng excepted.) There must have been thousands of broccoli jokes after that (and some hurt feelings from broccoli growers.) At the very least, this garden should diffuse all the "arugula" criticism Obama got during the campaign. (Of course, no one at Serious Eats would find arugula elitist! But parts of the country did.)
Teachertalk at 11:26AM on 03/21/09
Who the hell cares? I'll eat his share. He can eat my share of mushrooms. Everybody's happy.
buffy at 1:07PM on 03/21/09
Perhaps he has, and still doesn't like them. Some people don't, you know, no matter how nicely-prepared the beets are.
thepictsie at 4:34PM on 03/21/09
Get a grip on your beats. I love beats but there is enought good veggies to not like one. Everyone should be able to not like something, without others getting their kale in a bunch.
StevenSteiger at 6:31PM on 03/21/09
"...getting their kale in a bunch"...
I love that expression and I'm totally going to use it the next time an opportunity presents itself.
buffy at 9:47PM on 03/21/09
kitchenhacker:Of course he is, but the thought of my favorite living president and my favorite vegetable never crossing paths is a little sad, that's all :)
gentlyferal at 4:03AM on 03/22/09