Trump's host on his India visit is a fervent vegetarian. The White House is apparently nervous about the menus.
President Trump arrives in India on Monday for a highly choreographed visit that includes stops in three cities, a rally for him in the world's largest cricket stadium organized by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a special visit to the Taj Mahal, trade talks, and several meals, including a lavish banquet at India's presidential palace. "The president, whose diet is often a rotation of steaks, burgers, and meatloaf, faces a potential shock" as his itinerary keeps him in majority-Hindu cities where "cows are revered as sacred" and "in some neighborhoods, meat eating is so taboo that it's not done in public," CNN reports.
Typically, when Trump travels abroad, "his hosts usually try make him feel at home with his favorite meal: steak with miniature bottles of ketchup on the side," CNN reports, "but Modi is a devoted vegetarian and plans to serve vegetarian food to the president." The menus won't be finalized until the last moment, and Trump's aides could try to intervene, as this president is not a willing traveler and aides place a premium on keeping him in his comfort zone, people familiar with the trip tell CNN. Vegetarian food, or anything spicy or mildly exotic, doesn't fit in that category.
One person who has dined with Trump on several occasions told CNN that other than the occasional salad, "I have never seen him eat a vegetable." A former official involved in some of Trump's earlier trips added: "I don't know what he's going to do in this case. They don't serve cheeseburgers." In India, even McDonald's doesn't serve beef.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Luckily, CNN repots, Trump will have food waiting for him on Air Force One, and Modi has gone out of his way to please Trump in other aspects of the visit. In Ahmedabad, the Modi government is building a 6-foot wall to hide a slum along a road Trump may travel — the government insists the timing is coincidental.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
‘The business ultimately has a customer base to answer to’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
US mints final penny after 232-year runSpeed Read Production of the one-cent coin has ended
-
Catholic bishops rebuke Trump on immigrationSpeed Read ‘We feel compelled’ to ‘raise our voices in defense of God-given human dignity,’ the bishops said
-
US mints final penny after 232-year runSpeed Read Production of the one-cent coin has ended
-
Gopichand Hinduja and the rift at the heart of UK’s richest familyIn The Spotlight Following the death of the patriarch, the family’s ‘Succession-like’ feuds are ‘likely to get worse’
-
Will latest Russian sanctions finally break Putin’s resolve?Today's Big Question New restrictions have been described as a ‘punch to the gut of Moscow’s war economy’
-
Warner Bros. explores sale amid Paramount bidsSpeed Read The media giant, home to HBO and DC Studios, has received interest from multiple buying parties
-
Gold tops $4K per ounce, signaling financial uneaseSpeed Read Investors are worried about President Donald Trump’s trade war
-
Electronic Arts to go private in record $55B dealspeed read The video game giant is behind ‘The Sims’ and ‘Madden NFL’
-
New York court tosses Trump's $500M fraud fineSpeed Read A divided appeals court threw out a hefty penalty against President Trump for fraudulently inflating his wealth
-
Trump said to seek government stake in IntelSpeed Read The president and Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan reportedly discussed the proposal at a recent meeting
