A look at the White House state dinner for Japan in photos

[dalton99a]

Last edited Wed Apr 10, 2024, 10:21 PM - Edit history (2)

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-japan-state-dinner-fumio-kishida-photos/

A look at the White House state dinner for Japan in photos
By Kathryn Watson
Updated on: April 10, 2024 / 6:46 PM EDT / CBS News

A spring-themed menu inspired by American and Japanese cuisine and decor evocative of a koi pond are all features of Wednesday night's White House state dinner honoring Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his wife.

President Biden and first lady Jill Biden are recognizing the long alliance between the United States and Japan with the rare, time-honored tradition of a state dinner that draws from the traditions of both countries.

Singer-songwriter Paul Simon, who counts both the first lady and the prime minister as fans, will be performing. Former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, actor Robert DeNiro, and billionaire Jeff Bezos are all on the guest list.

The theme is "celebration of spring," a symbol meant to mirror the friendship between the two countries. A garden displays blooms native to both nations, including sweet peas, peonies and hydrangeas. Glass and silk butterflies appear on the dinner tables, too.

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https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/04/10/white-house-releases-state-dinner-guest-list-4/
White House Releases State Dinner Guest List

https://apnews.com/article/biden-kishida-state-dinner-white-house-japan-c323a1a6137298ec2d401a9d82a7e1c8
Kishida cracks jokes and invokes ‘Star Trek’ as he and Biden toast US-Japan alliance at state dinner

[LT Barclay]

1. I'm disappointed there wasn't an invite for Paul Watson.

[Cha]

2. Aww & Wow.. TY! Pres Biden is holding FL Jill's hand and they are both

looking so Fine!

And, Bill and Hillary, too!

[niyad]

7. Exactly!!!

[Fla Dem]

21. Yes, yes, yes! Both photo are wonderful. Both women are beautiful and

both couples holding hands tells you a lot about them.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

3. Swanky

and yet, they look entirely approachable.

Wasn't it the Japanese PM Baby Bush barfed on?

[dalton99a]

4. No, that guy died years ago

[MorbidButterflyTat]

24. I meant

the Japanese PM at the time. I didn't think it was the same guy.

[Cha]

5. Bob De Niro and Tiffany Chen... & the Chefs! Love the pics.. TY, dalton!

[PortTack]

6. Really nice...thx for sharing!

[irisblue]

8. Geez.... geez. DAMN

[betsuni]

9. Wines from Oregon and Washington states, they are delicious!

[Cha]

10. It's a beautiful State Dinner, betsuni.. I thought of you!

[betsuni]

12. I'm always obsessed with the menus and had to find out the details!

It really is beautiful, Jill and team did a good job. PM Kishida looked happy. I guess there's going to be an election this year and he's in trouble. At least he had a nice American vacation!

[Cha]

15. Oh Mahalo for the back story on the PM.

I like knowing the menus, too.. that's why I posted a photo of the Chefs.

But I couldn't read the small print, though.. so you inspired me to look further..

The menu

The food is the center of any good state dinner. According to the White House, guests were served a first course of house-cured salmon; a salad of avocados, red grapefruit, watermelon radish and cucumber; and shiso leaf fritters.

Dry-aged rib eye steak with blistered shishito pepper butter, fava beans, morels and cipollini was the main course, with a sesame oil sabayon.

Dessert included salted caramel pistachio cake, a matcha ganache; and ice cream — cherry ice cream, with raspberry drizzle.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-japan-state-dinner-fumio-kishida-photos/

I'm so hungry right now.. I haven't had supper yet.. have Brown Basanti Rice cooking on the stove. lol

[betsuni]

18. I thought watermelon radish was American, but it's a daikon radish that's red inside.

We tried to grow daikon in our first-year garden but they were pathetically small. There must be a radish secret. Better luck next time.

[Cha]

19. I'd never heard of Watermelon radish.. in fact I had read that as

Watermelon and radish so I looked it up.. It's beautiful!

Watermelon radishes are an heirloom variety of the daikon radish, a white tubular radish. Watermelon radishes stand out for their vibrant magenta interior, white skin, and thin, green outer rim, which gives the radish its name for its similarities to the summer fruit.:

Pics..

https://www.bing.com/search?q=what+is+watermelon+radish&form=ANNTH1&refig=bafcc054b4c34b0c8bb007405acd2a09&pc=HCTS

I ate Daikon in California when I was going through my Macrobiotic phase. I liked it with my brown rice, veggies and Miso!

P.S. I wonder why the Obamas weren't there?

[betsuni]

20. I told my husband the Obamas weren't there and he said Michelle said no, she's so sick of politics!

[Cha]

30. Aww.. it's honoring Japan.. I'm glad Hillary and Bill were there.

[oregonjen]

23. Nice! I wonder which vineyards the wines were from?

Betsuni, love your name. Do you speak Japanese?

[betsuni]

32. Two from Oregon's Willamette Valley:

Lingua Franca Bunker Hill Chardonnay 2021 and Argyle Vintage Brut Rose 2020. From Washington's Columbia Valley, Long Shadow Pirouette 2019.

I'm not a language person, my Japanese is terrible; I have no idea about pop culture, J-pop, anime and all those things Japan is known for internationally -- all I think about is food!

[Ilsa]

11. I love how the tables are set. Just beautiful! nt

[Cha]

13. I know right.. simply dazzling!

[Retrograde]

14. Dang it - my invitation

seems to have been lost in the mail again!

The shiso fritters sound interesting. And the Clintons look fabulous!

[Cha]

16. I thought so too.. about Former Pres Clinton and Former SOS Hillary!

So Good! As Well as Pres Biden and FL Jill

[betsuni]

17. The "fritter" looks like a tempura-fried shiso leaf, very light batter, maybe rice flour.

Should've just called it shiso tempura.

[Emile]

22. Ribeye steak 😋

[MerryBlooms]

25. The floral design on the plates, glass butterflies, florals, and crystal...

Everything looks magical! Just lovely!! 🪻🌷🌿💐

[GoCubsGo]

26. I love the china in the second-to-last photo!

I'm not crazy about the eagle in the center, but those wildflowers! The whole affair looks lovely!

[3catwoman3]

27. I want Hilary's dress!

It’s gorgeous.

Lovely photos.

[Bo Zarts]

28. When I was a tyke and Truman was the President, we lived on Dog River near Mobile.

We would listen to the evening news on the radio .. no TV back then for us. The man in the radio box would talk about a "steak dinner" at the White House. Always steak. Never chicken, or shrimp, or rabbit, like we had in Alabama. Steak.

Mamma, are they rich to eat so much steak? Daddy, don't they ever get tired of steak in that White House? Do they use cinder blocks with a refrigerator shelf to cook steaks over charcoal like Grandpa does? Do they ever have venison steak, like what Uncle Gene shoots over in Mississippi?

I don't know how old I was before my epiphany vis-a-vis White House steak dinners. Probably 22, in Vietnam. That was the year of many epiphanies.

State dinner. STATE DINNER! Damn! Now it made sense.

[shrike3]

29. Menu sounds delicious.

Dry aged steak and pistachio cake. Works for me.

And Yamaguchi's gown was fabulous.

[Hekate]

31. So beautiful

Class and good manners have returned to the White House
Not a hamberder in sight