Americans have always taken great interest in the domestic life at the White House. The first family is viewed by Americans as role models, and any activity, no matter how trivial, is seen as fair game for pundits of all political persuasions.
Michelle Obama’s very public campaign for better nutrition to combat childhood obesity has placed her in the public spotlight, a role she seems delighted to accept. Her frequent public appearances have generated considerable public attention on an issue about which she clearly has strong feelings. Furthermore, her gardening activities at the White House (involving her daughters and their schoolmates) appear intended to draw attention to the need for changes in the American diet whether the garden has yielded the expected produce or not, and the activity has brought public interest and scrutiny.
Bess Truman, unlike the current first lady, sought no leadership role on the public issues of her day and tried to avoid publicity. Nevertheless, Mrs. Truman found it was impossible to be married to the president of the United States and maintain a private home life. No matter how hard she tried, everything she did or did not do became a matter of public record. An example is the Truman family change in dining habits during a White House effort to set an example for the nation during a post-World War II food crisis in Europe.
According to Tammy Kelly, an archivist at the Truman Library, in 1947, two years after the end of World War II, drought and crop failures threatened Europe. President Truman noted in his radio and television address on Oct. 5 that the nations of Western Europe were “scraping the bottom of the food barrel. They cannot get through the coming winter and spring without help – generous help – from the United States and from other countries which have food to spare.”
Earlier that month, Truman had appointed the Citizens Food Committee to develop and publicize a plan to encourage people to conserve food. The committee asked people not eat meat on Tuesday and not eat poultry or eggs on Thursday.
Reduced production of livestock (and feed needed for livestock) meant more grain for Europe, the committee reasoned.
In his Oct. 5 speech, Truman stated that Mrs. Truman had instructed the White House staff to comply with the measures. And they did. That year the first family ate their Thanksgiving turkey on Wednesday, since they were not supposed to eat poultry on Thursday. They also cut back on desserts containing flour and eggs. Instead they ate gelatin, fresh fruit and ice cream rather than cakes and cookies – all with the American press corps watching carefully.
Cakes and cookies! I’ll bet these items have been largely replaced by fresh fruit on the menu at the Obama White House as well.
Mrs. Truman’s role in managing the White House menu along with the kitchen at 219 Delaware in Independence will be the topic of Talkin’ Truman on Sept. 11.
