Ina Garten does not throw around political opinions. Her Hamptons kitchen, with its stainless steel tools and soft natural light, is no place for such talk. Her dining room, where candles glow over baked shrimp scampi and garlic Brussels sprouts is free of partisan bickering.

But these are desperate times. At an event for Thursday, restaurant critic Frank Bruni of The New York Times asked her what meal she would like to prepare for some of the buzziest politicians in the news. And the Barefoot Contessa got political.

As Eater reports, she said she would serve Elizabeth Warren "lobster macaroni and cheese." She would serve Beto O'Rourke "pulled pork shoulder with maple beans, cornbread, and a kale salad. She would serve Joe Biden "something fun, like a lobster and clambake." And Donald Trump would get "a subpoena."

Boom, roasted.

Garten actually worked in the White House under presidents Ford and Carter as a nuclear energy advisor, but until Thursday, she had never commented on the state of things under our current leader. In fact, she told Huffington Post for an interview published Monday, "I don't talk about politics":

I worked in a Republican administration and I worked in a Democratic administration, and I talk about entertaining and I talk about cooking, and I think the more we cook and entertain, the more we stay connected with our friends no matter what their politics are. So, no, I don’t talk about politics. I don’t know if people know what my political beliefs are or not, but I just think it’s kind of like people’s diets: You worry about your diet and I’ll worry about mine. That’s how I feel about politics.

We can make a good guess about her political beliefs now. As for that subpoena, a store-bought one is probably fine.



Sarah Rense Sarah Rense is the Associate Lifestyle Editor at Esquire, where she covers tech, food, drink, home, and more.

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