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Washington: As the focus shifted from the joint press conference to the White House State Dinner, US First Lady Michelle Obama on Tuesday revealed the buzz behind the scene of the first state dinner, which President Barack Obama hosted since taking office.
Marcus Samuellson, one of the “finest chefs” in the country, was invited to prepare the four course dinner-potato and egg plant salad, red lentil soup with fresh cheese, roasted potato dumpling with tomato chutney, chick peas and okra or green curry prawns and coconut and basmati rice.
The dessert consisted of pumpkin pie tart, pear tatin, whipped cream and caramel sauce. Michelle said “lots of work goes into making this happen” and hoped the guests would “enjoy the best of American cooking” served on ‘Bush’ china-cutlery, introduced by her predecessor former First Lady Laura Bush.
An impressive list of performance by Oscar winners AR Rahman and Jennifer Hudson, jazz vocalist Kurt Elling and the National Symphony Orchestra awaited the visitors in the evening. “He is (Rahman) also an Oscar winner and he helped create some of the music for the film Slumdog Millionaire,” Michelle told the gathering. “I don’t know if you guys got to see that movie— an incredible movie.”
Speaking to a gathering of local students and the press, Michelle said the State Dinner was critical for taking international relations forward and “setting milestones” in foreign policy. “Throughout history, they’ve given US presidents-and the American people-the opportunity to make important milestones in foreign relations. And they have helped build stronger ties with nations as well as people around the world,” she said.
The First Lady explained that the State Dinner was an opportunity for Obama and Singh to take talks about important issues of health, economy and climate change in a different setting than a diplomatic stage. The hostess for the evening spoke of growing ties between India and the US, and especially highlighted the Indian students presence in the country.
The First Lady said that resolving global problems did not bank solely on interactions between governments but growing relations between the people of different nations. “And who knows, maybe one of you all sitting at this table.... will be living and studying somewhere in India -maybe New Delhi or Mumbai or Bangalore,” she said.
On the occasion, Michelle spoke of Mahatma Gandhi’s influence on her husband who has always kept a picture of the icon since he became a senator.
“And with a...
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