First Lady Pushes Fresh Food

When Michelle Obama served lunch to the homeless last week in Washington, she didn't just praise the soup kitchen; she praised the menu. "We can provide this kind of healthy food for communities across the country," the first lady said of the mushroom risotto and apple-carrot muffins at Miriam's Kitchen. Advocacy for local food has become a major item on the first lady's agenda, the New York Times reports.

Laura Bush insisted on fresh, organic fare but did so with little fanfare. Obama, however, is making the White House kitchen into a national showpiece. Even the wine was organic at the president's first White House dinner. Nutritionists and chefs are impressed, though the first lady conceded that her daughters can put up resistance: "Sometimes kids are like, ‘It’s green!’"