Food and Politics: The President's Diet

While his wife is busy promoting the importance of following a healthy diet, President Obama is making waves of his own. Food enthusiasts are endlessly fascinated by the restaurants he frequents and what he orders. There's even Obama Foodorama, a blog dedicated to the subject.

Patrons are happy to wait as long as two hours for a table at one St. Louis pizza restaurant, simply because the president loved their pizza. "This has been our own private stimulus package," the owner told the Associated Press. When the first couple chose Blue Hill--a New York restaurant that uses locally-grown produce--for their recent New York "date night," the blogosphere went wild.

While all this hullaballoo is amusing, it's a sure sign that the food we eat is getting a higher profile--and that could be a very good thing. If Mrs. Obama's efforts inspire people to make even small positive changes in the way they eat, the impact could be enormous. Let's hope that's exactly what happens.