“Non ha la puzza sotto il naso” AP Television Cameraman Gigi Navarra told me after spending two days following Michelle Obama on her visit to Northern Italy. Translated directly that would mean “she doesn’t have a smell under her nose,” or more specifically: she isn’t stuck up, she’s not a snob, she does not have her nose in air. Gigi is right. Until this week I had never seen Michelle Obama in person but after following her visit in Milan it is clear that she is down-to-earth, natural, self-assured and easy and fun to be around.
The First Lady came to Italy this week to visit the Milan EXPO 2015, which is actually what was once known as the World’s Fair. The Milan Expo is dedicated to food, the theme being “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life,” and the national pavilions both showcase each nation’s food, and explore ways to make more sustainable food production.
Food and healthy eating has been a big theme for the First Lady while at the White House, five years ago she launched her project “Let’s Move” to combat childhood obesity in the United States. So she was the logical candidate to inaugurate the American Pavilion at the EXPO.
The Pavilion stands out at the EXPO area with its huge American Flag wall with the sign “American Food 2.0” and a plate, fork and knife replacing the stars. All along one side of the pavilion is a vertical vegetable garden designed by architect James Biber. As we stood under it waiting for the secret service to go through all our equipment, I looked up at the cabbages, lettuces, red peppers, green beans, and parsely that look like they are growing out of the wall.
The First Lady has a massive organizational machine that moves with her. We were dealing with press flacks from Washington and from the Embassy in Rome and Consulate in Milan; there were the advance teams, the logistical people and lots of security. As we waited outside the pavilion, teams went through every item of equipment turning on all our phones and computers and dogs sniffed through everything else. (I am not complaining though, given recent events in the world, I think it is necessary)
We were among the journalists in the pool covering the First Lady, so we were inside, but as the hour approached for her arrival a huge crowd gathered around the barriers. A group of American College students had been selected to participate in a question and answer session with the First Lady and they eagerly awaited her outside.
Finally she strolled in where a brightly colored, dress, high-heeled sandals and, I couldn’t help noticing, lemon-yellow toe-nail polish. (Lemon yellow seemed appropriate when we are talking food in Italy where lemons are used daily in cooking).
She has such a natural warm way about her, and enthusiastically greeted the students who looked at her with awe.
She then got a tour of the pavilion while we scrambled into our new position to film her question and answer session with the students.
When she arrived at the session, she immediately told us that she had been “amazed” by the vertical garden and thought it was “awe-inspiring.”
Michelle Obama knows a thing or two about vegetable gardens, in 2009 she inaugurated a vegetable garden on the South Lawn at the White House to grow healthy food to be eaten by the first family.
She then said that as she walked around the pavilion, “I couldn’t help but think about all the issues we face around hunger, around food deserts in our countries and places all over the world and when you walk around this pavilion you think the solutions are right in our grasp.”
During the press events in Milan, the first lady repeatedly pointed out that “globally the prevalence of obesity has nearly doubled since 1980; diabetes has increased worldwide by 45 percent in the last two decades, and 42 million children are overweight before they even finish pre-school.”
Michelle said her goal is to eliminate childhood obesity in a generation.
According to the White House, as part of the First Lady’s “Let’s Move” campaign kids are now getting fruits and vegetables instead of milk and cookies at daycare centers, children are finding salad bars in their school cafeterias, restaurants are making healthier kids menus and companies are lowering the calories in drinks and food products.
At the end of her visit to the American pavilion, Michelle Obama gave us a hint about what is in her future after she leaves the White House. She said, “I know that I for one, long after I leave the office of First Lady, am going to continue to work on these issues because our children deserve better. And we can do better. We can. We’ve seen it here.”
The day before she visited EXPO we covered an event at the James Beard American Restaurant in Milan where Michelle took part in a cooking session with 7th and 8th graders from the American School in Milan. There Michelle was in her element chatting with the kids, chopping chicken and making a lentil, barley, rice and chicken salad. She even sat down to eat it with them in front of a pack of journalists and at least 4 TV cameras. AP Television was live on the event and I was thinking it has to be difficult trying to chew your food politely, not choke or spit or gulp, and carry on a conversation with a bunch of kids with everyone focused on you. But she pulled it off beautifully. I guess she has some experience with that.
She told the kids that they have to do their part to combat obesity joking with them:
“You gotta eat your vegetables, yeah, sorry about that, but you gotta have some vegetables.”
She also told them the importance of cooking one’s own food and being aware of the ingredients you use and eating together as a family. She explained that at the White House their family tries to sit down for dinner together every night between 6-730 and they talk about their day. She said talking with others helps one to eat slowly, taste one’s food and enjoy it more. Then she added, “you are actually tasting it, and you probably eat less because you are not just shoveling. Shoveling is probably not a good thing. We don’t shovel. Well, the President shovels sometimes.|”
Ok, now we know. The 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, sometimes shovels his food.
At the end of the event she hugged the kids and then they asked her to sign their aprons. With a magic marker she signed her name one-by-one on each of their aprons. When she got to one boy he said, “Are you the First Lady?” She burst out laughing and said, “Yes, I am the First Lady of the United States, I am glad we have clarified that.”
Obama is traveling with her two daughters Malia, 16 and Sasha, 14 and her mother Marian Robinson although I have not seen them yet.
Today they will visit US military families at the Vicenza military base which I have to run out to cover now, then this weekend the First Lady will make a private visit to Venice over the weekend.
Note: Some people have been asking me why I have not posted on the Pope’s Encyclical. It is very important and a huge story for AP. We are extremely busy in Italy right now with EXPO, Migrants and the Encyclical and I opted for the fluffy story of covering the First Lady. I will eventually post on the Encyclical and all the buzz and back-stabbing around it when I am back in Rome.
with so many below the poverty line and relying on food stamps – which (watch my lips) her husband will cut there is a bit of a mismatch here! Bit like the ‘queen of spain’ promoting a Mediterranean diet to the starving masses.
Well Alan, I also thought about the Queen of Spain promoting the Mediterranean Diet and the First Lady worrying about obesity when there are so many starving people in the world– but then I decided not to go there in my blog post. However, in the case of Michelle Obama I think she has done a good job raising awareness on what is a huge (no pun intended) problem in the United States. Have you ever been to the US? If you go, you will notice it immediately, there are just so many more overweight people there than anywhere else I have ever been, and the eating habits are really dreadful. I think it is important that Americans change their habits about food. But yes, I agree though that it is easier to eat healthy and workout and when you have more money.
Michelle is the epitome of grace and approachability. I love her effortless style and her ability to stay focused on her ” Let’s move “campaign despite all the noise.
I think you said it better than I did — indeed, she is the “epitome of grace and approachability”. She seems very focused on her “let’s move” campaign and it seems as though she is really convinced about it and wants to continue even when she is no longer First Lady.
Really sorry that the First Lady couldn’t bother to wear hosiery for a public appearance. Really improper.
Gosh hosiery, it was pretty hot out. I know I had bare legs and stockings, but I schlep around a lot of equipment so I suppose I have an excuse. What did you think of the lemon-yellow toenail polish?
Great post Trisha and a fascinating insight into the press pack following Mrs Obama! She’s in Venice today and tomorrow apparently and although I offered to do afternoon tea she hasn’t called in yet!! Maybe tomorrow……!!! :o)
I know she is coming to Venice but they were only offering the opportunity to cover her departure from the airport. So our only choice would have been to try to be paparazzi chasing her around. AP decided not to bother because we also have to cover the Pope visiting the Turin Shroud this weekend. I wish I were going to Venice though — I would come over for tea with you!
sounds like fun Trisha and work of course. enjoy
Yes lots of fun and work. But it is work I love to do.
Maybe fluffy, but certainly interesting and fun to read. I am trying to imagine cabbages growing in the verticle garden pictured above. I have already read a lot on the encyclical so am glad you didn’t write about that now though, of course, I think it is extrememly important and I hope the Pope aims his comments on it right at certain politicians when he addresses Congress later this summer.
Thanks for an interesting view of a person I admire. We don’t get to read enough about her in the local papers.
A presto,
Joan
PS Did I spot Mario Batali to my right in the picture of the student asking a question?
Hi Joan — Yes, that was Mario Batali — he was part of her delegation. Her delegation also included another celebrity chef, Carla Hall, and seven-time NBA All-Star Alonzo Mourning and several others. The cabbages growing out of the wall were very cool. I wish I could have gotten a close-up photo for my blog. My phone is not good enough — I should have asked my cameraman to do a zoomed close-up. As far as the encyclical is concerned — I am back in Rome but still have not found the energy to focus on that. When I travel for work, I find that I come home and there is a whole pile of of family things on my TO-DO list that I need to take care of. Maybe I will wait for the encyclical post when I am on vacation. I have so many emails and things to read to catch up on the encyclical story.
Seems pretentious of her; Italians have known about eating healthy food, growing healthy food and healthy cooking, savoring good food and not “shoveling” for centuries before Michelle O came to lecture about it.
OK I don’t like the Obamas. But to be fair, I agree with her Let’s move idea. Good on her promotion of home & community gardens, at least for Americans, who sadly have grown far away from that. Now it’s cool to grow your own food in the US, and that’s a good thing.
Hi Barbara, thanks for your comment. Michelle was definitely directing her comments at an American audience, not an Italian one. The cooking event had all American kids, and the event at the EXPO Pavilion had American college students. Also, the press covering her was predominantly American — so she was speaking to us. I think she knows that Italians have a long tradition of healthy eating that is an example for the rest of the world. As you say Italians also know about savoring good food. Italians invented the “Slow Food” concept — and Italian families still tend to sit down at the table and eat meals together. There is also much less snacking in Italy than there is in the US. I also think her “Let’s Move” idea is a good one. I think she is the first person to bring national attention to the huge problem of childhood obesity in the US and that is a good thing. Anyway, you say you don’t like the Obamas. I have been thinking a lot about her and other First Ladies. I once covered Hillary Clinton when she was First Lady at a G7 Summit in Naples. She was pretty dreadful — First Lady was not a good fit for her. Who is your favorite First Lady?
I read comments people left on another site about this visit and they ranged from the truly ignorant, i.e. “Doesn’t she know Italians always eat together with their family; they eat a balanced diet, etc.” to the downright racist – examples of which I won’t print here. People didn’t even take the time to read that she was talking to Americans, not Italians, and as you noted in one of your comments to readers, obesity is a HUGE problem in the U.S. I think she is to be applauded for making people aware of eating healthy diets, no matter where she is. Even in Italy, problems with unhealthy eating are becoming more prevalent. And I LOVE the yellow nail polish – who cares about stockings? Seems like a trivial thing to pick on.
Hi Linda – I am a huge fan of Michelle and certainly I won’t tolerate any racist comments on this blog. She was definitely speaking to an American public, but I think she does have a good idea that the Italians have a long tradition of healthy diet and eating behavior. However, you are right, obesity is also on this rise in this country, sadly, like in the US, among the poor.
Looking forward to your post on the Vicenza visit. Would have enjoyed meeting you if I had known earlier. I am the public affairs officer for U.S. Army Africa.
Thank you Mike!! Now you have lit a fire under me, I guess I need to do a post on the Vicenza visit. It certainly was a lot of fun and I am sorry I didn’t get a chance to meet you. Next time!
Thanks for covering this, because there has been no mention at all in the US press of Michelle being in Italy — I think we are just overwhelmed right now with the massacre in Charleston, at the AME church. And it sickens me to hear of racist comments in Italy about her, when here we are dealing with such a hideous act of racism, and Michelle and Barack are targets for all this hate.
Her food program has become far more important than I thought it could when she began. She has had a huge influence on purveyors of fast food and on school food, in particular. And she has been teaching healthy eating to people who really had no idea what that was. She has been able to raise consciousness and also self-esteem among the poor, as she provides can-do lessons. Here, in the small state of NH, our church is participating in a program to provide food in the summer to replace school lunches and snacks, for poor families find it hard to absorb the extra cost for two months. The list of foods stresses healthy choice, and the traveling van that makes the round of Portsmouth neighborhoods is teaching simple ways to prepare healthy meals. Michelle is the one to thank for all this — it is a subject no one was talking about when she became First Lady.
You’ve written so much about refugees who have little access to food, and the UN has just released data that world wide the number of refugees is rising fast and it over 56 million people. The poor are refugees within the economy, and their food options are limited. Michelle is working to address that, even in Italy.
Hi Nancy — Thank you for that comment. I am so glad to hear that Michelle’s efforts on encouraging healthy eating are having some impact in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. That is great news. I am also so saddened by the Charleston attacks and am about to do a second post now on Michelle in which she mentions it. Terrible. I just so worked up when it comes to questions of the number of guns available in the US, the violence, and the racism. Why, why why???