WASHINGTON — Visiting a beloved eatery or local watering hole is a photo-op favorite for politicians, especially on the campaign trail. It’s an opportunity to win over constituents by showing that politicians are human, too, and need to eat.
If done right, the would-be man or woman of the people can boost street cred, but it’s risky business. Trying to act cool in a calculated situation is never easy. Plus, it is almost impossible to look good drooling mustard.
So, any munching mishap presents an opportunity for ridicule. Already this election cycle, Ohio Gov. John Kasich fouled up in New York and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton failed in Wisconsin. But food faux pas are nothing new for politicians living in the public eye and candidates on the hustings. Here are some of the best (or worst) examples of politicians’ publicized food fails.
Current candidates be warned; The Pennsylvania primary is Tuesday, and everyone knows how locals feel about Philly Cheesesteaks.
Senator George McGovern’s not-so-kosher deli visit
In 1972, Sen. George McGovern, D-S.D., stopped for a kosher hot dog in New York City during his presidential campaign and ordered a glass of milk to go along with it. Mixing dairy and meat is an absolute no-no in the kosher world. The media pounced, and some even deemed the move “career suicide.” That might be an exaggeration, but he most definitely did not win New York.
Sen. George McGovern (D-S.D.) once ordered milk with his kosher hot dog. (By Dirk Ingo Franke – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21980443)
President Gerald Ford and “The Great Tamale Incident”
During a visit to the Alamo in 1976, President Gerald Ford tried to eat tamale still wrapped in its husk. The incident, dubbed “The Great Tamale Incident,” made national news, but he reportedly took it in stride when someone politely came to his rescue.
President Gerald Ford once tried to eat a tamale with its husk on it. (By Phil! Gregory – originally posted to Flickr as Tamales, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4006996)
President George H.W. Bush vomits at a formal dinner with foreign dignitaries
The most dramatic example of a public food mishap comes from President George H.W. Bush. In 1992, Bush vomited at a banquet hosted by the Japanese Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa. ABC broadcast the footage, and the incident was parodied or referenced everywhere from Saturday Night Live to the Golden Globes to The Simpsons.
President H.W. Bush once threw up at a banquet dinner with Japanese dignitaries. (By Unknown – originally uploaded to EN by User:Chrisn4255, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=694300)
Senator John Kerry fails Philly
During his 2004 presidential bid, then-Sen. Kerry, D-Mass., stopped in South Philadelphia for a classic Philly Cheesesteak at Pat’s King of Steaks, the self-proclaimed inventor of the sandwich. Local uproar ensued when he ordered Swiss cheese on his hoagie instead of the traditional Cheez Whiz.
A classic Philly Cheesesteak at Pat’s in South Philadelphia comes with Cheez Whiz. (By http://lifeasawife.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/philly_cheese_steak_sandwich1.jpg, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=973835)
President Obama overreaches at Chipotle
In 2014, President Barack Obama stopped by Chipotle for a casual lunch. When he ordered, he reached over the glass sneeze guard to point to his preferred ingredients. After an ill-timed photo of the incident made it onto social media, the Twitter-verse responded with outrage.
The Internet did not approve when President Barack Obama reached over the glass at Chipotle. (By User:proshob – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27256361)
Hillary Clinton plays bartender
In March, Hillary Clinton visited the Pearl Street Brewery in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Pouring a beer straight from the tap could give the presidential hopeful instant “cool” points. Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as it looks, and the half-full, almost entirely foamy result did not have the desired effect.
On the flipside, however, back during her 2008 presidential run, Clinton downed a shot of blended whisky and had a beer at a local bar in Crown Point, Indiana, to the delight of many.
Hillary Clinton tried to pour a beer from the tap at a bar in Wisconsin. (By © 2005 by Tomasz Sienicki [user: tsca, mail: tomasz.sienicki at gmail.com] – Own work, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=325204)
Shortly before the New York primary, Gov. John Kasich was ridiculed for eating pizza with a fork. This is no small transgression to New Yorkers and hardly encourages a “man of the people” image. Kasich tried to laugh it off on the talk-show circuit, but the damage was done.
Still, Kasich is far from the only one to commit this food flub. Jon Stewart blasted Donald Trump for using a fork to eat his pizza while out with former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin during her “One Nation” bus tour in 2011. Palin did the same, but as a New Yorker, Trump was the bigger scandal. “Donald Trump, why don’t you just take that fork and stick it right in New York’s eye,” Stewart bellowed during his The Daily Show.
Even New York Mayor Bill de Blasio took a fork to a slice in 2014, inspiring the Twitter hash tag “#forkgate.”
Many politicians have been scorned for eating pizza with a fork and knife in New York. (By User:Apalapala – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25887962)
Honorable mention: Cruz eating a booger?
It wasn’t food, and it wasn’t exactly eating, but Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, swallowing something off his lip during a Republican presidential debate in front of millions of viewers last March cannot go unmentioned. It definitely didn’t go unnoticed. The Internet exploded immediately with speculation, incredulity and disgust. It was not a good look for the presidential hopeful.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) ate something off his lip during a primetime debate. (By Michael Vadon – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46779943)
Published in conjunction with 