Latest news with #Rea
Eater
a day ago
- Politics
- Eater
Bennett Rea Eats Like a President, Sometimes to His Detriment
Back in 2019, Bennett Rea's grandmother-in-law showed him her copy of the South Dakota Centennial Cookbook, published in 1989. It contained contributions from all over the country, and they marveled together at how disgusting many of the recipes were. They also wondered why politicians were willing to be associated with things like Anniversary Horseradish Salad (Rep. Glenn English) or microwaved Super Fish (Sen. Chuck Grassley). Rea decided he needed to experience these foods for himself and began posting videos and blog posts about the results. Eventually, Cookin' With Congress evolved into Rea eating like presidents, first ladies, and other notable figures like Kamala Harris for entire days at a time, as well as ordinary Americans in each of the 538 congressional districts. The project has not been without peril: a week of subsisting on Diet Coke and fast food like Donald Trump left him dead-eyed and cradling an artichoke. But perhaps Rea's piece de resistance was the day in May when he ate like William Howard Taft, an experience that required him to consume 8,200 calories, nine different kinds of meat (including possum), and three desserts; the subsequent meat sweats and 24 hours of digestion and fasting culminated in what Rea calls 'an accidental mystical vision quest.' Earlier on, you were ranking the presidents by palate and Taft was number one. Do you still feel that way? I think he did have a great palate. That was my ranking based purely on looking at what they ate. Now, actually having eaten all of those foods, I'm going to have to do a second round. So I don't know if he's going to stay at number one, mostly just because… I mean, possum's gonna ding ya, obviously. How do you find these recipes, and how do you decide which day you're going to eat from? I've got a collection of maybe four or five dozen community cookbooks. People send them to me now from across the country, which is really cool. The Congressional Cookbook Series is informative. The President's Cookbook by Poppy Cannon and Patricia Brooks from 1968 forms the basis of a lot of my daily eating habits for the presidents. And Dinner with a President by Alex Prud'homme is a fantastic book. I've used that as a resource a few times, particularly for some of the more modern presidents like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. And then there's a lot of archival newspapers. There was a great New York Times piece on Jimmy Carter in the 1970s on his full eating habits. That's how I found out he loved red eye gravy on thick-cut ham and fried chicken and potato salad. And so then you cook all this food by yourself? Do you have help? I do all the cooking myself. I would say I also do a good portion of the eating myself. My wife's pescatarian and so is my daughter, and so they don't jump at the chance to try out squirrel stew. Well, it's a very good excuse not to. But if the food's good, we eat it together, which is nice. I'm doing all the cooking myself at this point and I love it. That's such a fun part of it because I'm getting to learn new skills. I've become a better home chef because of this. Like, even making the bad foods, I started to understand how a bad recipe could be made absolutely delicious with just a couple tweaks here or there. Why did you start Eat Like America? I started that out of pure genuine curiosity. I mean, you could say it's nosy, but I'm always like, 'Well, this is how I eat, but like how does everyone else eat?' You know, all these presidents and politicians have these unhinged diets and eating habits, but like ... how about the rest of us everyday people? And what I found is largely way less unhinged, and it's just so much fun to connect with people through food in that way. That's such a wonderful thing that I didn't anticipate even coming out of that series. And truly, it exposes me to new foods I'd never tried before. Is there anything you've added to your rotation so far, either from the congressional districts or from the presidents? I have added the Cantonese scrambled eggs from the software engineer in Florida. I've remade like three or four times since then. I've also made Grace Coolidge's, uh... the name isn't the best, it's creamed chicken balls, but they're essentially like chicken marsala croquettes. And it takes a long time, but Herbert Hoover's Ramos Gin Fizz is a great drink. I always get excited when the presidents have cocktails on the menu. So here's a question from my mom. I told her about this whole project, and she wanted to know how you're managing your health. You'd be surprised, or maybe not, at how many folks reach out with that question. I've had a long and complicated relationship with food. I was about 70 pounds heavier than I am now. I just kind of ate my feelings, frankly, for many years. And I had some what I would call disordered eating without being diagnosed with it. I was able to, through a lot of therapy and emotional help and support, get through it and lose 70 pounds. And so I don't take for granted the fact that I can sit down and eat 8,200 calories in a day and not fall back into that. So I think that answers part of your question. The other answer is, I try to walk a lot. I live in a very walkable town. I like exercise. And on my days off, I swear I'm going to do what I eat in a day, 'cause that has been the number one request for a while. Then people can see it and have their feelings and opinions on it and be shocked at how much Greek yogurt I eat. Do you have rules for this project? I try to be transparent with it. I am such a stickler with it on those days, because I want to be as authentic as I can to the experience that they were going through as the president. I've scrapped an entire day because I messed up. But I'd rather get it right than miss out on a key piece of information and a key piece of the experience. So I do have that internal rule for myself. My wife has told me a few times, 'No one would know if you just...' And like, I know, I know, but I can't. On the Nixon day, I felt really sorry for you with the whole ketchup and cottage cheese situation. Were you tempted to say, 'Well, did Nixon eat other things for lunch? Could I just maybe avoid this?' That would be very Nixonian, actually. Ketchup is the one thing that I really just don't like. Ketchup on cottage cheese is definitely one of my least favorite things I have ever eaten in this series. I chase that stuff though. I want to try the things that are a little bit strange. So if I have a choice, I want to follow the fun. And to me, the fun is like putting myself in a situation where I have to eat those things that I don't like. Not to the point of dishonesty, obviously. So if this option was, every day Nixon either ate cottage cheese with ketchup or cottage cheese with pineapple, I'm going to pick the ketchup because it's just more fun to put myself in that situation. Oh, you're a masochist then. The funny thing throughout this is that I'm always asking, 'How unhinged are these politicians for eating ketchup with cottage cheese?' Now here I am eating ketchup with cottage cheese. So, who's more unhinged, me or them? And, uh, well, probably we're at the same level. Who knows? The intensity is half the fun for me. The fact that I got to have a quasi-spiritual experience from Taft is — I was like, I can't... A few days later, I was like, 'Wow, that was wild. I'm so happy I did that.' Do you have any tips like eating like a president on the Fourth of July? I wish I had a cookbook out already, but it's going to be a little while. But if you've got some adventurousness within you and you want to eat like a president on the Fourth of July, all you need is a squirrel guy and a couple of boxes of Jello and three to four hours of cooking time in a given day, and it's a breeze. I will say one recipe worth doing is a Thomas Jefferson recipe. I made it before but I'm going to do it again. It's the drunken loaf, which is just a gigantic French bread soaked in wine and covered with mac and cheese on top. It's decadent. And it's a fun one to make. See More:
Scoop
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Festival Tops $2.5M For Gore In Fourth Festival Year
The figures are in for this year's Bayleys Tussock Country – New Zealand's Country Music Festival, held in Gore from May 23rd to June 1st. With 72 events packed into ten days, the fourth annual festival attracted a 26% increase in attendances and an 18% rise in unique visitor numbers from across New Zealand and Australia. That surge in interest translated into an impressive $2.52 million injection into the Eastern Southland economy, according to post-festival economic data. Festival goers also stayed longer and did more while they were here. The average stay in Gore increased a further 7% from last year, and the number of events attended per person grew by 10%, highlighting the festival's broadening appeal. Additionally, average spend per visitor rose by 6%, reflecting stronger engagement with local businesses and hospitality. 'This was our fourth festival and it felt like there was a notable lift in patron numbers, and new faces from all around New Zealand,' says Trust Chair Jeff Rea. 'We're ecstatic to see that reflected in the data also, and the trajectory of growth is nothing but exciting for the region of Eastern Southland.' Festival organisers attribute the ongoing growth to an ever-expanding programme of events that appeals to a wide range of audiences. A prrivate home and room rental scheme supported by the community has also made it easier for visitors to stay longer in town. 'There's no doubt this year's lift can in part be attributed to the 50th celebrations of the MLT NZ Gold Guitar Awards,' says Rea. 'We acknowledge the tireless work of volunteers and key event organisations — the Gore Country Music Club, the NZ Songwriters Trust, the MLT NZ Gold Guitar Awards committee and the Gore District Council — who all share our vision of developing this relatively new festival concept into one of New Zealand's biggest and most successful annual music the festival's growth and the benefits it's bringing to our community is a welcome reward for the efforts of many.' Bayleys Tussock Country – New Zealand's Country Music Festival will return to Gore from May 22nd to May 31st 2026. Artist registrations open in September, with tickets on sale from November of this year.
Global News
6 days ago
- Climate
- Global News
Heat wave blamed for 42 Toronto emergency room visits, public health says
Toronto Public Health says it recorded 42 heat-related emergency department visits during the heat wave that gripped much of Ontario earlier this week. The heat wave delivered dangerously high temperatures and humidity to many parts of southwestern Ontario, with Toronto setting a new June 23 temperature record when the mercury hit 36 C. A public health spokesperson says the number of weather-related ER visits to Toronto hospitals over the three-day heat wave is consistent with the health risks of heat exposure, 'particularly for vulnerable populations.' Toronto Paramedic Services say they saw a 'slight increase' in overall call volume from Sunday to Tuesday, but they are unable to track how many calls are directly related to heat even though it may be a contributing factor. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Ottawa also set a new June 23 heat record when the temperature there topped out at over 35 C. Story continues below advertisement Ottawa Paramedic Service said on Wednesday that it had responded to 14 calls directly related to heat since Saturday, with all but one patients in stable condition. They say an elderly man with dementia was found in a backyard suffering from heat stroke on Monday, and was stabilized before he was taken to hospital in critical condition. The Office of the Chief Coroner didn't have information about any recent heat-related deaths in the province, saying they are difficult to track accurately. 'It is very challenging to determine with accuracy whether heat was a direct factor in causing a death,' spokesperson Stephanie Rea said in an email. 'In many cases, a person may present to a hospital for a pre-existing condition exacerbated by the heat.' Rea said only accidental deaths that are directly related to heat, such as hyperthermia or dehydration, are reported to the coroner for investigation. While the heat warning officially lifted Wednesday in many parts of the province, relief is expected to be short-lived as Environment Canada forecasts temperatures will climb again to the high 20s starting Friday for parts of southwestern Ontario.
Calgary Herald
25-06-2025
- Health
- Calgary Herald
Majority of those made sick by salami salmonella outbreak in Alberta
Fifty-seven Albertans have become sick with salmonella, potentially associated with three retail brand salamis sold in grocery stores and delis. Article content The federal government issued a public health notice on June 24, with a food recall warning for Rea brand Genoa Salami Sweet, Bona brand Mild Genova Salami and Rea brand Genoa Salami Hot. Article content Article content The products sold in grocery stores, specialty markets, restaurants, cafes, butcher shops and delis have rendered 72 Canadians sick and seven hospitalized. Article content Article content Most of the sick individuals are men, according to the notice. Many reported becoming sick between mid-April and mid-June and said they ate the salami in prepared sandwiches or from deli counters using the products. Article content Article content Most people infected with salmonellosis recover on their own after a few days, although some may experience severe illness and require hospitalization. It's unclear as yet if any Albertans have been hospitalized from eating the salami. Article content Symptoms of the infection can include diarrhea, stomach cramps, fever, nausea and vomiting and can appear anywhere between six hours to a week after infection, carrying on for a few days to a week. Article content
Hamilton Spectator
25-06-2025
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
Health agency says 72 sickened with salmonella after eating recalled salami
TORONTO - Seventy-two people have fallen ill after eating salami recalled due to possible salmonella contamination. The Public Health Agency of Canada released an updated notice on an outbreak of salmonella infections linked to Rea brand Genoa Salami Sweet, Rea brand Genoa Salami Hot and Bona brand Mild Genova Salami. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled the products in Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba on June 10. At that time, 57 illnesses had been reported, with 44 in Alberta, 13 in Ontario and none in Manitoba. On Tuesday, the public health agency reported additional cases, bringing Alberta's infections to 57, Ontario to 14 and Manitoba to one. Seven people have been hospitalized since the recall was issued. The federal health agency said most people fell ill between mid-April and mid-June after eating salami in prepared sandwiches or bought from deli counters. They recommend checking for the following product codes: 5035 226, 5049 226, 5020 228, 5035 228 and 5035 226. Salmonella is a food-borne bacterial illness that can spread several days or weeks after a person is infected, even if they don't have symptoms. It can result in severe and potentially deadly infections, particularly for children, pregnant people, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems. Healthy people may experience short-term symptoms such as fever, headache, vomiting, nausea, cramps and diarrhea. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 25, 2025. Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content. Note to readers:This is a corrected story. An earlier version misstated the date of the update, which was issued Tuesday.
