It’s been my goal to tell HPLD users a little bit about all of our databases this year, and I’ve already found a doozy in A to Z Food America.
It’s a great source of information on things you’d expect, like recipes from specific regions and with certain ingredients, and that’s all fine (it’s GREAT, actually), but it’s not what intrigued me about the information that was presented to me.
So I bring you this brief tour of the weirder side of A to Z Food America, starting with a little American history.
What Presidents Eat
Under the Historical heading in A to Z Food America, we’ve got a section called “What did They Eat: U.S. Presidents.”
Besides being a bit confusing for me in terms of whether or not they should have a question mark in there somewhere, I was fascinated to find out not only some of the favorite dishes of Presidents, but some of the snacks and mealtime customs of each President (up to 2020, Joe Biden has not yet been profiled).
I started at the very beginning, a pretty decent place to start, and found out that George Washington did NOT have wooden teeth, as it was rumored, but did have dentures made of animal bone. Which is certainly more practical and also…a little weird, no?
Washington, I found out, wrote down a recipe for what he called “Small Beer” because it had a low alcohol content, and this recipe is still available for you home brewers out there. It doesn’t sound like the tastiest brew, IMO, but, hey, if it’s good enough for the first President, it’s good enough for me…to not make fun of anymore.
James Polk (President 11), was apparently one of the very few U.S. Presidents to ACTUALLY be born in a log cabin, and he brought with him to office his taste for simple foods, and he wasn’t a fan of the elegant, European fare that was all the rage in political circles. After attending an official banquet, he wrote in his diary: “I saw the food and I couldn’t tell what it was. It must have been French.” I feel you, Jimmy.
Ulysses S. Grant (18) liked the food he was served in the military, so when he won the Presidency, he brought an army quartermaster on board as the White House chef. Apparently, Grant’s wife gave the quartermaster a shot, but figured out pretty quickly that his cooking wasn’t so hot. She hired an Italian-trained chef, and allegedly Grant started packing on some extra weight, the food was that good.
Theodore Roosevelt (26) was known for drinking A LOT of coffee. This is a man after my own heart (palpitations).
William Howard Taft (27) had a dairy cow roaming around the White House for the first two years of his term so that the family had access to fresh milk and dairy products. Just in case this comes up at pub trivia some time, the cow’s name was Pauline Wayne. I can’t possibly imagine I’ll remember that name, but, hey, if you manage it, you’ll be team MVP for sure, even if the music round leaves you feeling old, confused, and a little frightened.
Jimmy Carter (39) made it legal for people to brew beer at home, which definitely paved the way for the craft brewing scene of today. Related to this move, a Louisville brewery created a beer for his brother, Billy, called Billy Beer. A quote from Billy on the label read, “I had this beer brewed up just for me. I think it’s the best I ever tasted. And I’ve tasted a lot. I think you’ll like it, too.” Funnily enough, Jimmy Carter did not drink alcohol, and all of his guests were served non-alcoholic wine.
Ronald Reagan (40) apparently took quite a liking to jelly beans, partially to help him quit smoking. He always had a jar on his desk, and he’d pass it around at the beginning of meetings. He had a standing order with Jelly Belly of 720 bags per month so that The Oval Office, Air Force One, and all cabinet offices were well-stocked.
George H.W. Bush (41) was famous for hating vegetables, especially broccoli, which his mother made him eat. At a press conference, Bush was quoted as saying, ““I’m President of the United States and I’m not going to eat any more broccoli.” Which, fair. I guess if it takes becoming President to tell your mom that she can no longer dictate what you eat, he did it. White House staff characterized Bush Sr.’s eating as being like “a teenage boy” in that he’d wolf down huge portions and yet never seem to put any weight onto his slim frame.
Bill Clinton (42) was known for his love of fast food. He’s since gone mostly vegan, but in his heyday, he was known to often end a jog at a McDonald’s, so often that a McDonald’s in Arkansas put up a plaque in 2019, memorializing the location as one that Clinton often jogged to. I’ve been known to put away a burger, but I’ve yet to attain the status of, “We need to put up an official notice about this guy on the side of the building.”
Donald Trump (45/47) had a Diet Coke button installed during his first term, and apparently has had it reinstalled in 2025 as well. The button provides Trump an easy way to request that someone bring him a Diet Coke. These are the perks of having the biggest job on the planet.
There you have it, just a little roundup of some of what’s available on A to Z Food America.
It’s actually a super cool database. I hate to even call it a “database” because, to me, that sounds kind of boring, and A to Z Food America is genuinely fascinating, fun to browse, and something I’m super glad the library is able to offer.