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ugh.

Eat Me Daily covered this, and I agree with their critique. They also had the following quote which I think sums it up pretty well:

"Now the divine Mrs. M is supposed to strap on an apron and save the world by cooking. No matter that she sends a more powerful message by dishing up healthful, affordable food at a soup kitchen, or by looking so fit herself, or just by not apologizing for hiring cooks to keep her family fed in Chicago because she had more rewarding things to do. It’s been a long, hard fight to get this country to understand a woman’s place is not always in the kitchen."
-Regina Schrambling

"Cooking and eating meals together are...good for the country as a whole"?! So, what, now it's my civic duty to not only cook, but to eat with other people? Gimme a break.

How about Carla Hall (Hootie Hoo!) goes to the White House to teach Michelle and the girls some seasonal dishes? She's already in DC, it would be so easy!

It's actually pretty offensive to assume that a: since Michelle is First Lady as opposed to President or anything, she has nothing better to do than represent our idea of families, b: that the family is now using a chef not because Barack was the cook and maybe he's busy, but because Michelle is lay or unwilling to learn, and c: that a Black woman is wrong for not being in the Kitchen. I thought Hesser wrote an extremely one sided piece without any thought, and I'm sad to see you covering it.

Man, how have I managed to go all of these years, cooking meals for my family and then sitting down to eat with them, without Michelle Obama telling me that it was OK?

My question is this: Why wasn't this ever brought up when Laura Bush was the first lady?

Go ahead Ed, drink the Kool Aid along with everyone else............

Should Michelle Obama fake liking to cook just for show? Should she put on an apron and play cute housewife? No, of course not. But, she can certainly do a better job about promoting the importance of cooking good things at home as part of a healthy diet. I think this is the point that Amanda and Ed are trying to get across and frankly, I agree with them. She has a really unique chance to influence a lot of parents out there while her poll numbers are up, so put aside the political BS everyone, and understand that she might as well use the clout she has while she can.

"Should Michelle Obama fake liking to cook just for show? Should she put on an apron and play cute housewife? No, of course not. But, she can certainly do a better job about promoting the importance of cooking good things at home as part of a healthy diet. I think this is the point that Amanda and Ed are trying to get across and frankly, I agree with them. She has a really unique chance to influence a lot of parents out there while her poll numbers are up, so put aside the political BS everyone, and understand that she might as well use the clout she has while she can. "

So, in other words, we should just do whatever she says because she now has some sort of celebrity status and high poll numbers? If parents are doing what is "right" by listening to whoever is famous or has high poll numbers, then this country is in worse shape than everybody thinks. Also, should everyone suddenly stop listening to her if her poll numbers drop? I hope (for your sake) that Mrs. Obama never advocates that sticking a fork in your eye can be good for you ;)

I'd be wiling to bet that if someone had suggested this exact same thing for Laura Bush, there would have been an equal amount of "political BS" on these boards (although I think the opinions would have been reversed).

She already has her hands full and is doing a great job of it.

Let's leave Chef de Cuisine to someone else.

jezebel commenters had field day with this one: http://jezebel.com/5274131/should-michelle-obama-get-back-in-the-kitchen and for once, i do agree with 'em. michelle used to cook all the time when her family required that of her, but now she's got a full kitchen staff to take care of something she thought of more as a chore (bummer that she doesn't enjoy it, but jeez! that's her prerogative!). why shouldn't she take advantage of that? i know i would -- at least some of the time. she's still sourcing locally and organically via her chefs, and "setting an example" via the WH garden. hesser's implications, though i think they really just came from a perhaps overly enthusiastic foodie, are dangerous when it comes to gender and even race issues. meanwhile, if michelle feels like sharing a family recipe or two, of course that'd be great! but you know what? she's got ample time for that, and, i have a feeling, more important things to do. she can't champion every single issue, right? check the jez comments for a thorough discussion.

Ugh!! Seriously...?

If Michelle Obama has time to cook and serve America's Chef de Cuisine, then she is doing it all wrong. I'm sorry, but the Obama's have already done their part setting examples on the food front, with home gardens, etc. In fact, almost all I ever hear about is what the Obama's had for dinner, which seems frivolous, after the first couple of times.

There are much bigger concerns the Obama Administration needs to address than who is going to cook dinner in the White House. If they want to focus on food, then overhaul the FDA and Dept of Agriculture, etc., and legislate, instate and maintain higher standards in food production, quality, health and safety. THAT would make a real difference.

There is a reason the White House is equipped with a full support staff, and kitchen crew. The powers that be have much bigger fish to fry than the ones that go into frying pans in the kitchen. And, they had better get to frying them!!

Cheers,

~ Paula

I'd love to see a video of Michelle, Alice Waters and "BO" chasing the President around the white house lawn with a plate of freshly prepared beets.

I think it's more important that Michelle Obama determine what kind of food is going to be served to her family than it is that she cooks it. She's fortunate to be able to hire a cook while in Chicago and have a staff to cook for her at the White House. While I enjoy cooking, there have been times that I would have loved to have a cook!

Hesser's suggestion was also pretty sexist. Evidently, all women and all mothers should love to cook, and Hesser suggests (perhaps not intentionally) that there's something wrong with a woman who doesn't.

Also, I think she's making an Alice Waters mistake here. Many people I know don't cook because they don't have access to fresh groceries (no time may be saved with a jar of sauce, but corner stores have it), or because their schedules don't permit it. Hesser could have implored Ms. Obama to fight for subsidies for grocery stores in urban neighborhoods (some kind of stimulus package), highlight organizations like Peoples Grocery in Oakland, or for stronger protections for all workers allowing more time at home.