Six minutes from downtown D.C. to Ray's Hell Burger in Arlington? We're seriously jealous.
OK, so it's not all kittens and rainbows being president. But burgers and fries? Well, sure.
President Barack Obama's motorcade left the White House with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at 12:20 p.m. Thursday, arriving at the Wilson Boulevard storefront restaurant six minutes later. The mission? Big, floppy, drippy burgers of perfection.
"Now, the only thing about these burgers," Obama said, "is that they're quite messy, so watch out for your tie."
Obama got a lot of attention when he first visited the establishment in spring 2009. He most recently ate there last month with Vice President Joe Biden, according to the Associated Press.
Take that, Michelle Obama's healthy-eating, anti-obesity endeavors!
The two heads of state sat at a table with their interpreters. One thing they didn't need to interpret? The food. They both had burgers, of course. Obama ordered a cheddar cheeseburger with onions, lettuce, tomato, and bread-and-butter pickles. Medvedev went spicier: His cheddar cheeseburger came with onions, jalepenos and mushrooms. Obama had an iced tea, while Medvedev had a Coke. And yes, they shared fries.
Other customers burst into cheers and applause when the presidential group entered -- but after that, they mostly left the presidents alone. Hey, it's too hot today to fuss around trying to get autographs.
And even Obama and Medvedev ditched their suit jackets. We're sure they wouldn't want to spill ketchup, anyway. The buns at Ray's do tend to fall apart pretty quickly when faced with substantial condiment presence.
By all accounts, Medvedev enjoyed the American meal.
"An interesting place, which is typically American -- probably it’s not quite healthy, but it’s very tasty, and you can feel the spirit of America," Medvedev said afterward during a joint news conference.
The White House press says lunch was Obama's treat.
Meanwhile, we think we've detected the beginning of a new Cold War. But this time, we're using cholesterol.
