President Donald Trump may prefer steak and ice cream to more worldly cuisines, but he sure has eaten a lot of steak and ice cream around the world. Both staples were on the menu during the President’s dinner with the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall yesterday. (Specifically: grilled filet of beef and homemade vanilla ice cream.) Here are some other countries where Trump has enjoyed grilled meats and frozen treats:
Saudi Arabia
Steak “butchered in a Shariah-compliant halal manner” and Ketchup were reportedly offered alongside lamb and rice during Trump’s visit to Riyadh in May of 2017. No word on dessert…
Israel
At the Jerusalem home of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2017, Israeli celebrity chef Moshe Segev prepared Trump a menu with cutesy dish titles like “lifting up the world.” Translation: beef tenderloin with foie gras and red curry alongside creamy mashed potatoes and spinach. Later asked about the President’s preference for well-done meat, Segev confirmed: “Like a rock!”
Japan
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe seems to understand Trump’s appetite better than any other world leader, because red meat and ice cream are pretty much always on the menu. On Trump’s 2017 visit to Tokyo, the two leaders indulged in teppanyaki steak at a Ginza restaurant famous for its wagyu, followed by a feast that included “Japanese beef steak” and ice cream at Akasaka Palace. Then on Trump’s most recent visit in May, steak and ice cream in the shape of Mt. Fuji were centerpieces of an imperial banquet.
South Korea
Korea, you were so close during Trump’s 2017 trip! Grilled beef ribs and granita are almost steak and ice cream. But there was chocolate cake, another Trump favorite.
The Philippines
Grilled US black angus tenderloin marinated in soy-calamansi was the main course for a gala with world leaders in Manila in 2017. For dessert: caramel flan (not ice cream but creamy).
France
The First Couple visited celebrity chef Alain Ducasse‘s Michelin-starred restaurant atop the Eiffel Tower with President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte in 2017. On the menu: filet of beef (with foie brioche, soufflé potato, and truffle sauce) and chocolate ice cream (with hot chocolate soufflé). Steak and ice cream were not, however, served during a 2018 state dinner at the White House for the French leader. Then again, it was much more of a Melania menu…
Singapore
Trump’s 2018 meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jung-Un may have been politically risky, but the lunch menu played it safe with beef short-rib confit (steak’s cousin?) and Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream with cherry coulis.
Argentina
Dining with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires in December 2018, Trump ate—wait for it—grilled sirloin. The meat was served with red onions, goat ricotta, and dates this time. Fresh cream, not ice cream, came with the caramel rolled pancakes for dessert.
Vietnam
Another high-stakes dinner with Kim Jung-Un in Hanoi earlier this year called for more steak. While the original menu included Vietnamese specialties, White House correspondents reported those were swapped for grilled sirloin with pear kimchi and chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream.
USA
So what happens when world leaders come to America? More steak, of course! Both Japan’s Abe and China’s Jinping were treated to steak during 2017 visits to Mar-a-Lago. China’s leader got to choose between chocolate cake or a trio of fruit sorbets for dessert.
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
