Appetizing Muse

Sunday night's White House specials on the Food Network were interesting, but not as informative as they were cracked up to be. What goes on behind the scenes requires an army of personnel, some working around the clock. There are five full-time chefs. The dining experience has to be top notch for the guests, and even the simplest affair is elegant and planned well in advance.

Apparently, the First Lady receives a weekly menu of choices, whereby the White House chef suggests meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. In an interview, Mrs. Bush said she and George usually follow the suggestions, but once in awhile they ask for something different. The First Lady's "contribution" to the presidential menu has been her own version of guacamole, using lemon juice rather then lime juice.

White House staff have their own mess, and they can also get meals-to-go from a daily special menu. There is also a separate dining room reserved for the president and his cabinet if they choose to have their meals outside their workspace. The "dining rooms" resemble fancy restaurants: white tablecloths, dark-paneled walls and waiters in uniform. On occasion, the president will "slip out" and dine at a D.C. restaurant (under heavy security, of course).

There is also a permanent flower arranger on staff at the White House, responsible for creating all floral displays as well as table place-settings for state banquets and other official meals.

Dolly Madison was credited with brining ice cream to the White House in 1812, although historical records indicate a dessert called "strawberry ice cream" had already been served at the Governor's Mansion in Annapolis, Maryland in 1744.

Other documents show George Washington loved ice cream, spending $200 for the treat during the summer of 1790. Thomas Jefferson also brought back an ice cream recipe from France in 1789, well before Dolly Madison's days as First Lady.