White House Garden in the spotlight

The White House goes reality TV. The First Lady just taped an appearance on The Food Network's Iron Chef America .

The whole idea was to promote healthy eating. The chef's even used veggies from the Obama's new garden. No word on what the secret ingredient will be.
We do know there is some extra star power in the episode. In addition to Mrs. O, The New York Times reports two pairs of chefs will compete: Cristeta Comerford, the White House executive chef, and Bobby Flay against Mario Batali and Emeril Lagasse.
It turns out this isn't the Obama Garden's first turn on reality TV, the garden gets a star turn on Tuesday night’s episode of “The Biggest Loser.”

First Dog Search Narrowed Considerably

In a selection process that's generating more attention than the search for Commerce Secretary, Michelle Obama has said that they've decided to go with a Portuguese Water Dog (left) which looks sort of like a poodle. Like poodles, Portuguese Water Dogs don't shed, a consideration for Malia Obama, who is allergic to dogs.

Jimmy Orr at Christian Science Monitor notes that "this breed is known not only for having webbed feet and being a favorite of Jacques Cousteau, but they usually pay their taxes on time and rarely back out at the last minute."

Of the various hypoallergenic dogs they might have chosen from, I rather wish they'd gone with a Pomeranian. So cute.

(pictured: a Pomeranian puppy. Aww.)

"A Technicolor cast"

From an article by Jodi Kantor in the New York Times, Jan 20th, 2009 (emphasis added):

For well over two centuries, the United States has been vastly more diverse than its ruling families. Now the Obama family has flipped that around, with a Technicolor cast that looks almost nothing like their overwhelmingly white, overwhelmingly Protestant predecessors in the role. The family that produced Barack and Michelle Obama is black and white and Asian, Christian, Muslim and Jewish. They speak English; Indonesian; French; Cantonese; German; Hebrew; African languages including Swahili, Luo and Igbo; and even a few phrases of Gullah, the Creole dialect of the South Carolina Lowcountry. Very few are wealthy, and some — like Sarah Obama, the stepgrandmother who only recently got electricity and running water in her metal-roofed shack — are quite poor.

Presidential in-laws

When Barack Obama's mother-in-law moves into the White House later today, she'll be joining an elite group of in-laws. Four other presidential-in-laws have lived at the White House: Ulysses S. Grant's father-in-law, Harry S Truman's mother-in-law, Dwight D. Eisenhower's mother-in-law and Benjamin Harrison's father-in-law.

When as if his mother-in-law is moving to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Barack Obama tells 60 Minutes, "Well, I don't tell my mother-in-law what to do." Obama went on to offer 60 minutes correspondent Steve Croft some tips on dealing with mother-in-laws. All joking aside, experts say two things are necessary to keep the peace. The Obama's need to discuss privacy and disciplining the children ahead of time. You can find more information about Michelle's mother here.