President Barack Obama reaches for a plate of french fries as he makes an unannounced visit to Rudy's Hot Dog in Toledo, Ohio, Friday, June 3, 2011. From second from right are, Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, Toledo Mayor Michael Bell and Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
When his wife unveiled the USDA’s new nutritional plate yesterday, there definitely wasn’t a space for chili dogs.
But that didn’t stop Barack Obama wolfing down two in Toledo today – with fries and an extra bowl of chili on the side.
The president happily munched on the unhealthy meal before he visited the city’s Chrysler factory, and even teased one of his hosts for ordering ketchup, a faux-pas in his home town of Chicago.
According to USA Today, he told representative Marcy Kaptur: ‘Marcy just wants ketchup. By the way, as an aficionado of hot dogs, you shouldn’t put ketchup on hot dogs… I’m trying to teach my girls.’
Those culinary lessons would hardly go down well with his wife, Michelle, who has spent this year touring the country on a crusade against childhood obesity.
Yesterday she unveiled the USDA’s new healthy-eating guide, which replaces the famous ‘My Pyramid’ with a plate divided into four nutritional quadrants: fruits, vegetables, grains and proteins.
Obama dined with Toledo Mayor Michael Bell and other local officials at Rudy’s Hot Dog, which reportedly sells 8,000 chili dogs a week.
We’re told the president ordered the house specialty: A dog with mustard, onion, chili sauce and cheese. Obama also had a bowl of chili and fries on the side.
“These guys, whatever they want; I’m buying,” Obama told one of the restaurant owners as he gestured toward his entourage.
The owner of Rudy’s Hot Dog got a 10 minute warning the president was on his way in for a hot dog, but he didn’t believe it until the motorcade pulled up.
Harry Dionyssiou and his brother co-own the six Rudy’s Hot Dog locations across the Toledo area. “It was a thrill for me,” says Harry.
Harry was at the Rudy’s on Sylvania Friday afternoon when the parking lot suddenly filled up with squad cars. Harry says, “Some customer came in and he says, ‘Harry, what’s going on here?’ I said, ‘What do you mean?’ He says, ‘Police cars everywhere!’ I says, ‘You crazy.’ So I went out there. There was a sergeant there. I said, ‘Sergeant, what’s going on here?’ He says, ‘Harry, just go on inside. The President of the United States is coming.’ I thought he was joking!”
Turns out, it was no joke. President Barack Obama made an unannounced stop at Rudy’s – a Toledo staple for 91 years. He sat down with Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, Senator Sherrod Brown and Mayor Mike Bell for a bite — a hot dog, bowl of chili and some fries.
The owner then talked him into eating a King Dog, then posing for a few pictures. Harry says, “I was shocked. That was just the shock of my life and some kind of experience that I’ll probably never have the rest of my life.”
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