Which world leader's favorite food was the simple grilled cheese sandwich? Which Hollywood star earnestly yearned for a plate of beef tripe? This week in part 2 of 2, I'm presenting the favorite food of famous historical people who achieved fame and/or notoriety after 1900.
Albert Einstein
A 2014
article in Time magazine reported that frequent fish-eaters had
increased brain power. If that's true, then Albert Einstein, one of the
smartest people who ever lived, probably ate fish for breakfast, lunch, and
dinner. But in reality, he didn't. In fact, his favorite dish was distinctly
unfishy—it was pasta. If he came to your house for dinner, you could make him
happy with a heaping plate of spaghetti.
Alfred Hitchcock
Master film director Alfred Hitchcock seemed like the kind of man who enjoyed his food. And his favorite meal? Ham pie. It actually sounds pretty tasty with ingredients including nutmeg, cayenne pepper, and eggs. Strangely, he'd eat eggs cooked in a dish but individual eggs completely horrified him. He claimed to be terrified by the sight of the yellow yolk leaking out.
Andy Warhol
Given
some of Warhol's most famous artworks, you might assume his favorite meal would
be a can of Campbell's tomato soup. He claimed he had it for lunch every day
for 20 years. Yet it wasn't his number one food. That honor went to cake, just
about any kind of cake. One story said he had his own unique recipe—a chocolate
bar stuffed in between two slices of bread.
Benito Mussolini
To say
that Italy's fascist dictator Benito Mussolini had little to recommend him as a
human being is putting it mildly. And not surprisingly, his eating habits also
left a lot to be desired. Apparently, his favorite snack was a salad garnished
with lots of raw garlic. It must have been possible to smell him approaching
before he entered a room.
Charlie Chaplin
Sir
Charles Spencer Chaplin, perhaps the most famous movie actor of his era and
still highly popular today, loved to eat something seldom seen on today's
menu—beef tripe. It's so rarely served nowadays, you might not even be sure
what it is. It's the stomach lining of an animal, usually pig, sheep, or, as in
Chaplin's case, cow.
Elvis Presley
Elvis
famously struggled with his weight in later years, and when you take a look at
his favorite food, that comes as no surprise. The King's number one snack was a
fried peanut butter and banana sandwich. Basically, you make this calorie-heavy
dish by spreading mashed banana and peanut butter between two slices of white
bread. But the killer blow is that you fry it in two tablespoons of butter.
Ernest Hemingway
American
literary giant Ernest Hemingway spent a considerable amount of time in Europe,
especially Paris. That might make you think he would be partial to fancy French
cuisine, but he wasn't. When it came to food, Hemingway was as American as
apple pie. Or, in his case, hamburgers, as it was those tasty beef patties in a
bun that he loved above all other goods.
Frank Sinatra
Frank
Sinatra was one of the smoothest crooners of all time. But when he wasn't
making us swoon with his voice, he loved nothing more than to eat Italian food.
Many say his favorite restaurant was Patsy's Italian in New York City. And when
he visited, he was sure to order their artichokes with a stuffing that included
Parmesan, olives, capers, and herbs.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
When
he wasn't steering America out of the Great Depression or leading the country
to World War II victory, it seems that President Franklin D. Roosevelt enjoyed
simple things. One of those was his favorite snack—grilled cheese sandwich. And
when he wasn't eating that, he enjoyed a plate of scrambled eggs or a hot dog.
Harry Houdini
When
he wasn't freeing himself from chains, straitjackets, and even coffins, Harry
Houdini kept up his strength with platefuls of spaetzle. For those not sure
exactly what spaetzles are, you're in good company. They are actually a type of
egg dumpling originating in central Europe. Since Houdini was born in Hungary, spaetzle
may have been a favorite from childhood.
Helen Keller
Helen
Keller's lack of sight and hearing—caused by an illness in infancy—didn't stop
her from becoming a distinguished writer and advocate for disabled people's
rights. Bug given her undoubtedly sharp intellect, you might have thought she'd
have a sophisticated palate. But not so. Her favorite snack was the reassuringly
informal hot dog.
John F. Kennedy
The
fact that President John F. Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, means
that his favorite food should hardly come as a surprise. It was clam chowder, a
dish much loved throughout New England. Of course, for a Massachusetts man, the
chowder had to be made with plenty of cream in the traditional style of the
region.
Kim Jong Il
Kim
Jong Il (father to North Korea's current dictator) was the second of the
hereditary communist dictators from the Kim dynasty who ruled North Korea until
his death in 2011. It's reported that his favorite food was dog meat stew—and
no, not a dish made from meat usually served to dogs. It was a stew made with
dog [definitely a horrible thought]. Apparently, he liked to wash it down with
a disgracefully decadent Western product—Hennessy brandy.
Margaret Thatcher
British
prime minister from 1979 to 1990, Margaret Thatcher was unusual among world
leaders due to her pre-politics career. A chemistry graduate, she actually
worked as a food scientist for a time, and some even claim she developed soft
scoop ice cream. But that wasn't her favorite food. Her favorite was a strange
concoction called "mystery starter." This was an unlikely mixture of
Philadelphia cream cheese, tinned beef consommé, and curry powder.
Pablo Picasso
Spanish
artist Pablo Picasso, perhaps the 20th century's most famous
painter, was tremendously successful during his lifetime. He could have eaten
the fanciest food available in his adopted country of France. But when it came
down to it, nothing pleased Picasso more than a plate of Catalan sausages from
his native Spain, accompanied by beans.
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Speaking
to the Evening Independent in 1966,Sammy Davis, Jr., made it no secret
about his favorite food. The talented singer and actor said he loved spaghetti
and meatballs. He added that it dated to when he was a child. Even when touring
internationally would take him to Rome, Italy, he would always end up ordering
spaghetti and meatballs.
Vladimir Lenin
When
he wasn't leading and consolidating Russia's communist revolution, ruthless
Bolshevik Vladimir Lenin likes to relax with a bowl of his favorite broth. And
that was milk soup with dumplings, a dish that many of us may be unfamiliar
with. In fact, it sounds more like a drink than a soup since its ingredients were
simply milk, salt, and sugar. Although it was fortified with the addition of
hearty dumplings.
Winston Churchill
British wartime leader Sir Winston Churchill was well-known for his enjoyment of alcoholic beverages and large cigars. Nothing particularly peculiar about that. But his favorite food is quite a surprise, it was soup. But not just any old soup—it had to be turtle soup. Of course, in today's conservation-conscious era, killing a turtle to make soup is frowned on.
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