First lady talks local food

Michelle Obama educates culinary students on why local and sustainable is good — especially for her kids.

Mon, Feb 23 2009 at 2:10 PM

Finally, a first lady I can relate to. Michelle Obama continues to show her support for things local —both food and education. On Sunday, Mrs. Obama invited the top students from L’Academie de Cuisine in Gaithersburg, Md., to visit the White House kitchen as it was preparing for an official dinner.

The New York Times reported that in addition to giving the culinary students a kitchen tour, Mrs. Obama also gave them a lesson in local and sustainable foods.

When food is grown locally, she said, “oftentimes it tastes really good, and when you’re dealing with kids, you want to get them to try that carrot.”

“If it tastes like a real carrot, and it’s really sweet, they’re going to think that it’s a piece of candy,” she continued. “So my kids are more inclined to try different vegetables if they are fresh and local and delicious.”

I don’t know about Mrs. Obama’s girls, but there is no way that my boys are going to confuse a carrot with candy. Still, I understand the point she’s trying to get across. My boys, too, are much more inclined to try vegetables that are fresh, local and delicious. Even more so if they come from my own back yard.

I like that she is pitching this to culinary students and helping to impress upon them the importance of local and sustainable foods at the beginning of their careers.

Now, if Mrs. Obama would just get her gardening staff working on an organic vegetable garden on the White House Lawn, that would probably make an impression on the whole country.

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