We all know Joe Biden loves ice cream and Barack Obama loves chili, but big deal. Those are normal things to enjoy. What about the weirdo stuff? Are you trying to find out what kind of freaky snacks some of our past presidents have loved?
Of course you are. Take a look at these nine surprising foods that past American presidents have loved.
Chester A. Arthur: Turtle Steak
Though today it’s illegal to eat turtles in many parts of the world, that wasn’t stopping Chester Arthur back in the 1880s. It was mainly popular in soup form, but this guy was a purist and needed it as a steak.
George H.W. Bush: Wine Jelly
There’s one thing he loved more than telling people to read his lips, and it’s wine jelly. The boozy dessert is kind of like the original jello shot, and Bush was often requesting and eating it. Drunk on the job?
William Henry Harrison: Squirrel Stew
William Henry Harrison famously served only a single month in office before getting sick, developing pneumonia, whispering a bunch of nonsense, and then dying. The guy ate tons of squirrel stew all the time. It’s a Louisiana specialty, but there may be a connection between a terrible immune system and eating tons and tons of squirrel meat.
Andrew Jackson: Jezebel Sauce
Jezebel sauce, which is made from things like apple jelly, pineapple preserves, horseradish, pepper, and dry mustard, is a popular southern condiment. Ole Andrew Jackson couldn’t get enough and put it on everything, including meat.
Martin Van Buren: Boar’s Head
Nothing like dining on an entire boar’s head to make you feel like the king of England, which seems to be what Martin Van Buren was up to.
Apparently he and his buddy Washington Irving would hang out in London and eat big Robin Hood-style feasts all the time. Not a bad life.
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Woodrow Wilson: “Healthy Breakfast”
I’m sure Woodrow Wilson was smarter than me in a lot of ways, but here’s one way I’m smarter than him: I don’t think we should be calling a cup with two raw eggs and grape juice mixed together a “healthy” breakfast. That was his specialty. The guy didn’t even make it to 70 years old.
Richard Nixon: Cottage Cheese and Ketchup
You remember Nixon? The crook, and everything? That famous villain ate cottage cheese topped with ketchup which is just about the most disgusting thing I can think of. If that’s something you also enjoy, I’m so sorry. Thoughts and prayers.
Theodore Roosevelt: Cream of Cucumber Salad
Teddy loved a Cool Whip concoction, especially this weird mix of lettuce, cucumber, and gelatin. Can’t imagine his big mustache wasn’t flecked with bits of cream of cucumber salad from time to time. A terrible image.
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Ronald Reagan: Jelly Beans
A man after my own heart. Ronald Reagan apparently went through a staggering 10,000 jelly beans a month. That’s unbelievably impressive. If you think this story can’t get less relatable, he also preferred the licorice flavor.
