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All-star menu at White House dinner
Source: Agencies |
November 26, 2009, Thursday
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THE first state dinner of the Obama White House had it all: Oscar-winning entertainers, Hollywood moguls, a knockout guest chef and even a wardrobe malfunction.
Traditional evening gowns vied with saris of vibrant colors on Tuesday night at the dinner in honor of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
First lady Michelle Obama described the trick to pulling off the event as sort of like being a swan: calm and serene above the water but "paddling like mad, going crazy underneath."
The 338-person guest list was a mix of Washington insiders, Hollywood A-listers, prominent figures from the Indian community in the United States, and Obama friends, family and campaign donors.
Attorney General Eric Holder patted his pocket as he arrived and said his children had prepped him with all sorts of questions for tablemate Steven Spielberg.
Senator Bob Casey had to scramble when his ensemble went rogue at just the wrong moment: His cummerbund dropped to the floor just as he and his wife stopped to pose before a scrum of about 40 reporters and photographers.
Mrs Obama brought in award-winning chef Marcus Samuelsson of Aquavit, a Scandinavian restaurant in New York City, to help White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford and her staff prepare the largely vegetarian meal. Singh is a vegetarian.
Dinner guests were treated to an eye-catching scheme of green and purple, from the green curry surrounding the prawns to the purple floral arrangements paying homage to the peacock, India's national bird. The menu included potato and eggplant salad, arugula from the White House garden, red lentil soup and roasted potato dumplings or green curry prawns.
The after-dinner entertainment opened with the National Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Marvin Hamlisch, playing "Summon the Heroes," by composer John Williams.
The lineup also included award-winning singer-actress Jennifer Hudson and jazz vocalist and composer Kurt Elling, both from the Obamas' hometown of Chicago.
Traditional evening gowns vied with saris of vibrant colors on Tuesday night at the dinner in honor of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
First lady Michelle Obama described the trick to pulling off the event as sort of like being a swan: calm and serene above the water but "paddling like mad, going crazy underneath."
The 338-person guest list was a mix of Washington insiders, Hollywood A-listers, prominent figures from the Indian community in the United States, and Obama friends, family and campaign donors.
Attorney General Eric Holder patted his pocket as he arrived and said his children had prepped him with all sorts of questions for tablemate Steven Spielberg.
Senator Bob Casey had to scramble when his ensemble went rogue at just the wrong moment: His cummerbund dropped to the floor just as he and his wife stopped to pose before a scrum of about 40 reporters and photographers.
Mrs Obama brought in award-winning chef Marcus Samuelsson of Aquavit, a Scandinavian restaurant in New York City, to help White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford and her staff prepare the largely vegetarian meal. Singh is a vegetarian.
Dinner guests were treated to an eye-catching scheme of green and purple, from the green curry surrounding the prawns to the purple floral arrangements paying homage to the peacock, India's national bird. The menu included potato and eggplant salad, arugula from the White House garden, red lentil soup and roasted potato dumplings or green curry prawns.
The after-dinner entertainment opened with the National Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Marvin Hamlisch, playing "Summon the Heroes," by composer John Williams.
The lineup also included award-winning singer-actress Jennifer Hudson and jazz vocalist and composer Kurt Elling, both from the Obamas' hometown of Chicago.
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