President Obama has happily dispelled the fast-growing myth that he meticulously counts out and eats seven almonds a night.
He told reporter Savannah Guthrie in an interview on NBC’s Today program that the story started as a joke and grew out of proportion. He added:
“This is an example of the weird way the press works.”
The story came from a New York Times feature that appeared in early July. Obama After Dark: The Precious Hours Alone explored the quiet times from 8 p.m. till around 1 a.m. when the President – a confirmed night owl – often sits in his White House office, alone with his thoughts, briefs, emails and occasional games of Words With Friends on his iPad.
Talking of his dietary habits in these solitary sessions, the feature stated:
“To stay awake, the president does not turn to caffeine. He rarely drinks coffee or tea, and more often has a bottle of water next to him than a soda. His friends say his only snack at night is seven lightly salted almonds.”
The seven-almond story gained traction, with some commentators praising his Spartan self-discipline and one or two others wondering if it wasn’t ever so slightly obsessive.
But as the President told Savannah Guthrie this week, it’s not true anyway. He explained:
“Michelle and Sam Kass, who was our chef here, one night they were talking about me and teasing me about how disciplined I was, that I didn’t have potato chips or that I didn’t have a piece of cake. And this is when Michelle said, ‘And he just has seven almonds, that’s it.’ “
Kass then relayed the joke to the New York Times reporter, who evidently took it at face value. President Obama continued:
“All my friends were calling me up and saying this seems a little anal, this is a little weird, and I had to explain to them, no, this was a joke.”
In fact it appears that the President is no stranger to the delights of fast food. He once told the Washington Post:
“My big thing [is] chips and guacamole. Basically, if there is a bowl of good chips and guacamole… I lose my mind.”
On various occasions, he has been seen delighting customers as he stopped by to order burgers in Washington, chicken wings in Buffalo, doughnuts in Seattle and Mexican food in Nashville. He has also been seen strolling into Starbuck’s, and raising a pint of Guinness, complete with the traditional Irish toast to good health: “Slainte.”
And not a single salted almond to be seen.
Watch Obama exploding the seven-almond myth here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpGe_JdCBXo
Featured image: YouTube/NBC Today
