Althouse: "US First Lady Jill Biden was caught on camera inspecting her cheese and pickle sandwich at Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's coronation lunch today."

May 7, 2023

"US First Lady Jill Biden was caught on camera inspecting her cheese and pickle sandwich at Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's coronation lunch today."

Ha ha ha. Thanks, Daily Mail.

Who hasn't wanted to look into the mysteries of a foreign sandwich?

You travel all the way to Britain and the Prime Minister serves you some hinky sandwich?!

60 comments:

mikee said...: I was once given a banana and mayo sammich, on white bread, by the ditzy and (in retrospect, probably alcoholic/pill popping) mother of a neighborhood kid, when I played at his house over lunch time. He ate his with gusto. I decided I had to go home suddenly.

So I won't criticize DOCTOR Jill for reviewing her food contents before consumption. After all, she has a PhD - in EDUCATION! - and thus knows much about the dangers of lunchtime sandwiches.; 5/7/23, 10:32 AM
Dave Begley said...: Hinky is the right word!; 5/7/23, 10:35 AM
Original Mike said...: "You travel all the way to Britain and the Prime Minister serves you some hinky sandwich?!"

It's exotic!

The Aussies put Beet Root on their hamburgers. Even at McDonalds. Tried it once. That was enough.

They also put a fried egg on their hamburgers. That's become a staple at our house (yes, I know; cultural appropriation).; 5/7/23, 10:40 AM
Owen said...: What *kind* of cheese? What *kind* of pickle? I have had some truly excellent “ploughman’s lunch” cheese-and-pickle sandwiches. Very Brit!; 5/7/23, 10:45 AM
Kate said...: Dr. Jill is in a weird position. She must be treated as a dignitary when she's really only a tourist. I don't blame her for wanting to attend the coronation. Who doesn't want to see the spectacle and wear a hat? She should've been accompanied by someone who knew what the British served for lunch, though. A King is a quaint notion to Americans, but you'd think the State Dept would know the ceremony required a more official response.; 5/7/23, 10:53 AM
Dave Begley said...: Jill wanted Joe to run for POTUS for all the free trips and millions in grift.; 5/7/23, 10:55 AM
Wilbur said...: The relevant picture doesn't indicate she was "inspecting" her sandwich. She was pictured holding it at mouth level after taking it from the offered tray, as her eyes are directed elsewhere. Sheesh.; 5/7/23, 11:13 AM
wild chicken said...: A shame. Best meals I ever had were in England, at Magdalen College and Lincoln's Inn.; 5/7/23, 11:14 AM
EAB said...: Hinky? Cheese and pickle has been one of my favorite sandwiches since I was a kid. I’d be overjoyed.; 5/7/23, 11:22 AM
Big Mike said...: You make it all the way to the White House and you don’t know how to check sandwich contents so no one catches you doing it?; 5/7/23, 11:30 AM
n.n said...: While Mrs. Biden pushed aside the layers of the sandwich, Mr. Biden pushed aside some hinky brown person, the Prime Minister.; 5/7/23, 11:45 AM
Original Mike said...: "What *kind* of cheese?"

Probably wasn't American Cheese, which I've always thought tastes like soap.; 5/7/23, 11:45 AM
Mary Beth said...: Jill Biden is pictured drinking what is presumed to be tea at the Coronation Big Lunch

But may have been vodka from the collectible King Charles III flask (a bargain at £45.00) she had in her purse.

Does she think the handle is on the cup just for decoration?; 5/7/23, 11:47 AM
Quaestor said...: Face it, America. The First Couple are a pair of hillbillies. Doctor Jill wouldn’t bother to inspect a possum sandwich.; 5/7/23, 11:54 AM
mccullough said...: She was looking for her fortune. She’s a moron.; 5/7/23, 11:59 AM
Owen said...: Wild chicken @ 11:14: Floreat! When were you there?; 5/7/23, 12:02 PM
Owen said...: The only pic I saw of “Doctor Jill” at the coronation showed her with Biden’s granddaughter and, behind them, a guy who was almost certainly SS. As I looked at it I thought “How come Biden needs —or thinks he needs— SS protection for his people INCHES FROM THEM IN THE CEREMONIAL PROCESSION? Nobody else, none of the hundreds of other dignitaries, seems to be thus encumbered. What an unfortunate distraction; it spoils the tone. Why, it’s almost…tacky.”; 5/7/23, 12:09 PM
Owen said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/7/23, 12:21 PM
rhhardin said...: British cuisine is famous.; 5/7/23, 12:27 PM
gilbar said...: i enjoyed the BBC show, "Endeavour" a lot..
One thing that ALWAYS struck me as Bizarro Land,
was the day (Monday) that Detective Thursday* would get his "cheese and pickles" sandwich.
I had A HARD TIME believing that EVEN Englishers would think that was a proper sandwich

https://morseandlewisandendeavour.com/2016/01/28/endeavour-di-fred-thursdays-sandwiches/

Thursday* it was only as i was writing this, that i realized that this name was a spoof on dragnet; 5/7/23, 12:32 PM
Not Sure said...: What Wilbur said.

DM headlines are laughably inaccurate. At least this one is an improvement over yesterday's astonishing announcement of a missile traveling at 10x the speed of light.; 5/7/23, 12:34 PM
Free Manure While You Wait! said...: "You travel all the way to Britain and the Prime Minister serves you some hinky sandwich?!"

Is that a correct usage of the word hinky?; 5/7/23, 12:34 PM
Rusty said...: The faux pas wasn't that she looked. The faux pas was that it was noticed and then commented on.
The purpose of good manners is to other people at ease.; 5/7/23, 12:35 PM
Bonkti said...: "Cheeseburger, hold the burger."; 5/7/23, 12:39 PM
TaeJohnDo said...: If you stop reading the headline at cheese, you get a whole other picture in mind...; 5/7/23, 12:39 PM
gilbar said...: Kate said..Who doesn't want to see the spectacle and wear a hat?

wasn't the coronation this weekend? If you wanted to wear a hat.. Wouldn't you be in Louisville Ky?

but you'd think the State Dept would know the ceremony required a more official response.

When i was fishing the Henry's Fork in Idaho.. I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of the wife of the former Ambassador to Luxembourg. She was a wonderful lady. And she told us about the protocol school that the state dept made her attend before they went..
However, i'm SURE that NO ONE tried to make Dr. Jill attend.; 5/7/23, 12:40 PM
Rabel said...: Further research shows that there is no actual pickle in a British pickle sandwich.

Also, mikee, your loss.; 5/7/23, 1:00 PM
Stephen said...: Say what you will about Dr. Jill, she would do better than Kamala. Bring back widow’s succession! Lurline caused less damage than George, and if something had happened to Barack, it’s obvious today that Michelle would have done a lot better than Joe.; 5/7/23, 1:05 PM
Kate said...: "wasn't the coronation this weekend? If you wanted to wear a hat.. Wouldn't you be in Louisville Ky?"

sooo true. We need a Derby-loving POTUS.; 5/7/23, 1:25 PM
ga6 said...: At least she was not checking her watch.
https://nypost.com/2021/08/30/biden-ripped-for-apparently-looking-at-watch-at-troops-ceremony/; 5/7/23, 1:35 PM
Nancy said...: I had to look up "hinky". It means "dishonest or suspect". I would expect the sandwich to be more questionable if in France, in fact hinky dinky parlay voo.; 5/7/23, 2:07 PM
tolkein said...: Cheese and pickle sandwich? Yum, yum!
Of course there'll be pickle in such a sandwich. Probably a ploughman's I'd think, but there are plenty to choose.; 5/7/23, 2:12 PM
walter said...: Where's the beef?
Beefeaters got a wardrobe revision.; 5/7/23, 2:35 PM
NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...: Rabel said...

Further research shows that there is no actual pickle in a British pickle sandwich

Yes! Cheese and Pickle in the UK is a very aged cheddar cheese and pickled chutney. Perhaps Dr. Jill took a bite and sussing that there was no gherkin in the sammich*, set off to determine if she'd been cheated.

*Scranton pronunciation.; 5/7/23, 2:53 PM
Narr said...: I wonder what the Earl had to say about it.; 5/7/23, 3:10 PM
madAsHell said...: That's OK......I used to look under Barbie's (from Mattel) dress. I never found anything interesting.; 5/7/23, 3:56 PM
BUMBLE BEE said...: Hinky cheese? From Wisconsinite?
No brats for you!; 5/7/23, 4:15 PM
madAsHell said...: There must be a kick-back in here somewhere. The Big Guy gets 10%.; 5/7/23, 5:01 PM
Maynard said...: Given the way the Brits cook and prepare food, I would inspect the sandwich as well. It is difficult to believe that they are cousins with the French.

I say that as an Anglophile who is distantly related to Henry Tudor (one of my least favorite Monarchs).; 5/7/23, 5:03 PM
William50 said...: Cheese and pickle sandwiches are supposed to be on Monday.

From the Endeavor series:

Fred Thursday lunch sandwiches;

Monday: cheese and pickle
Tuesday: luncheon meat
Wednesday: ?
Thursday: ham and tomato
Friday: corned beef; 5/7/23, 6:05 PM
Aggie said...: When did the media stop calling her the U.S. First Lady 'Doctor' Jill Biden; 5/7/23, 6:06 PM
Temujin said...: After years of poached salmon and champagne for lunch, it's hard to look at two pieces of white bread with something in between.; 5/7/23, 6:08 PM
wildswan said...: Isn't the "pickle", pickled onions or chutney? And the cheese in cheese and pickle is "a pale, impassive substance" which is not Stilton, not Cheddar but simply "cheese;" according to Peter Wimsey.; 5/7/23, 6:23 PM
AZ Bob said...: She missed an opportunity to lecture the Brits about the wasteful practice of cutting off the crust from each piece of bread. Besides, that's the healthy part, doc.; 5/7/23, 6:53 PM
Narr said...: After the baked beans at brekkers, I don't blame her.; 5/7/23, 8:07 PM
gilbar said...: thanx all! for informing me; that cheese and pickle doesn't have any pickles in it.
I thought it sounded Completely DISGUSTING..
Now that i know it's got chutney-like stuff in it; Well it's STILL Completely Disgusting, but not ALL CAPS so; 5/7/23, 9:32 PM
Crazy World said...: Ugly American; 5/7/23, 10:00 PM
gadfly said...: One bite of a cheese and pickle sandwich and I would be looking to find a way to discretely spit it out. Cheese made from milk curdled with bacteria and cucumbers flavored with salt brine, then served between slices of bread -- never the twain shall meet!; 5/7/23, 10:46 PM
Cameron said...: "You travel all the way to Britain and the Prime Minister serves you some hinky sandwich?!"

It's exotic!

The Aussies put Beet Root on their hamburgers. Even at McDonalds. Tried it once. That was enough.

They also put a fried egg on their hamburgers. That's become a staple at our house (yes, I know; cultural appropriation).

We also put pineapple on our burgers ;-); 5/7/23, 11:32 PM
MadisonMan said...: That is not a flattering dress on her.; 5/7/23, 11:42 PM
Admin said...: Haha, I couldn't agree more! It's always fascinating to explore the culinary offerings of different cultures, and it seems like First Lady Jill Biden was just doing her due diligence in inspecting her cheese and pickle sandwich. Plus, who wouldn't want to ensure that their lunch is up to par, especially when it's being served at a momentous occasion like the coronation lunch? It's all part of the fun and adventure of traveling, even if that means uncovering the mysteries of a foreign sandwich.; 5/8/23, 1:56 AM
Scott Patton said...: Brings to mind Penn Gillette telling stories of "Sugaring Off" parties growing up in Massachusetts. Although, I thought he had another word for it. Pickles are deployed for contrast.; 5/8/23, 6:53 AM
Narayanan said...: did Dr Jill eat sandwich with knife and fork and pinky stretch?; 5/8/23, 9:02 AM
Narayanan said...: make it at home; 5/8/23, 9:14 AM
Narayanan said...: That is not a flattering dress on her.
=========
instead of counting the silver Palace will check the Davenports

The term “Davenport” can refer to two different, and entirely unrelated, types of furniture. Most commonly in America, the word “davenport” refers to a large, boxy couch, or can refer to any piece of upholstered furniture that is large enough to comfortably lie on. Though in Britain and antique stores that specialize in Victorian furniture, a Davenport is a style of writing desk.; 5/8/23, 9:17 AM
Narayanan said...: madAsHell said...
There must be a kick-back in here somewhere. The Big Guy gets 10%.

ask and answer for why the silence on the 10% crusty part

Z Bob said...
She missed an opportunity to lecture the Brits about the wasteful practice of cutting off the crust from each piece of bread. Besides, that's the healthy part, doc.; 5/8/23, 9:22 AM
Rafe said...: Cheese and pickle sandwiches are delicious. And it’s a relish, not sliced pickles.

- Rafe; 5/8/23, 11:25 AM
Dustbunny said...: London food is excellent, much of the bad rep for English food came from the deprivations of war and post-wartime Britain. The pickle is, as someone else noted, chutney and served with cheddar it is delicious. Jill was rude.; 5/8/23, 12:25 PM
Vonnegan said...: Isn't Sunak Hindu? And perhaps then vegetarian? So no ham and tomato or corned beef sandwiches for him. And likewise for anyone at the party???? The "coronation quiche" is also vegetarian, btw. I assume that was so everyone could enjoy it, since Charles was trying to be very "inclusive" for his coronation.

And for all the Fred Thursday fans out there (the best character on Endeavor IMO), food for thought: Morse never mentions Thursday or his family in the books (because Colin Dexter didn't create the character and therefore he didn't exist). However, the TV series has to deal with that fact all the same. There's perhaps one season left of Endeavor, so one has to assume something will happen that makes Morse never utter Thursday's name again. What's it going to be? I'm guessing it will be related to Sam being missing in Northern Ireland, and Fred's response to that (Sam dies and then?) but ... Lots of questions.; 5/8/23, 12:52 PM
KellyM said...: @Vonnegan,

Thank you for the update re "Endeavour". I'd lost track of where things were. Guess I need to find out when we can expect this last season.

@Scott Patton: In my area of VT we called them "Sugar on Snow" parties. As a kid I spent many Sunday afternoons at a sugarhouse, owned by family friends. It was usually the first bit of real socializing after what was likely a cold and brutal February and March.

There was always plenty of food on hand, including dill or bread & butter homemade pickles. They acted as a palate cleanser from the intense sweetness of the hot maple syrup. The syrup would be taken right out of the evaporator and poured over basins filled with snow, which would cause the syrup to instantly turn into taffy. You would eat it by twirling it around a fork. When the taffy was gone, a pickle and then maybe a cider doughnut or something salty. Then you impatiently waited for the next round of syrup.; 5/8/23, 5:00 PM