Gatesgate

I'm still pretty glued to Gatesgate. In order to make that relate to a food blog, I am intrigued by the number of discussions that spin off of Obama's offer to have Sgt. Crowley and Professor Gates over to White House to have a beer, which is to happen today.

I do remember reading during the election that Obama was not much a beer drinker. This seemed to fit into all the liberal elitist drama that culminated in Dijongate. However, he also got a lot of flak for having a cold one at a Washington Wizards game. They of course serve wine at White House functions, and he ordered wine to be paired with the meal he and MObama had at Blue Hill on their date night in Manhattan.



It is now revealed that Obama is preferential toward Budweiser (go figure). Just when people were sure he was on Team Arugula. Of course the question begs to be asked, why would Obama invite them for a beer? Skip Gates doesn't strike me as a big beer lover (though he's requesting a Red Stripe, which earns him some points with me). And Sgt. Crowley is not bending to the stereotype of a Boston possibly-racist cop, and is at least asking for Blue Moon (which is made by Coors, yes, but is not actually of Coors caliber). And it does seem problematic to intimate that all racially-tinged, gownist fracases can be solved by the consumption of alcohol. Particularly when they may be starting another sexist one by not inviting Lucia Whalen.

NPR attempts to discover the presidential reasoning. And Brooklyn Brewery also weighs in, providing Robert Gibbs' responses to reporters at the White House and his attempts to save Obama's reputation despite being a Bud Lite drinker.

Of course somebody (PETA's equivalent) has to ruin it all by insisting that as the role model for America's young people, Obama should be hosting a lemonade tete-a-tete. You know, Bush was a teetotaler, people. Maybe alcohol is the solution to all of life's problems.