Kamala Harris has always been a very busy woman — California senator, former presidential
candidate, and now Joe Biden's vice president.
She will go down in history as the first woman, not to mention the second person of color,
and the first one of mixed Asian descent, to occupy one of the top positions in the
White House.
However, when Harris isn't busy working for the public good, one of her favorite hobbies
is cooking.
Harris learned to cook as a child, and her earliest specialty was scrambled eggs topped
with cut-out cheese smiley faces.
It goes without saying that Harris has moved far beyond such easy fare now, regularly bookmarking
recipes from The New York Times cooking section and working her way through Alice Waters'
The Art of Simple Food.
One of Harris' favorite dinners is roast chicken which, she told Glamour, can last for three
meals.
After seasoning the chicken, she trusses it and lets the bird sit for at least 24 hours
in the fridge as she says this results in crispier skin.
She rubs the chicken with oil or butter and slow-roasts it for a few hours.
Harris then makes a sauce of the drippings and serves the sauced-up chicken for dinner.
Leftovers get repurposed as chicken salad for a second meal, but the frugal Harris isn't
done with that chicken yet.
The carcass goes into a pot of water with carrots, celery, bay leaf, peppercorns, and
maybe some fresh parsley, and it simmers on the stovetop for about four hours or so.
Strained, it makes what Harris calls "the most amazing chicken broth."
Occasionally, there have been times when Harris' food choices and her politics come into conflict,
but she is honest enough to admit it and tries to do the right thing despite her personal
preferences.
Harris spoke at a climate change town hall meeting in September 2019, where she made
a dietary confession…
"I love cheeseburgers from time to time.
Right?
I mean, I just do."
However, she went on to say that we, as a nation, must commit to establishing healthier
eating habits.
While she isn't advocating a vegan diet for everyone, herself included, Harris does say
we need to learn moderation.
She also reminds everyone that reducing our red meat consumption isn't something we must
do for the good of our arteries alone, but for the sake of the planet.
Of course, Harris isn't the only politician who makes news for her food choices.
When fellow senator Mark Warner, a veteran Democrat from Virginia, decided to share a
video that showed him making a tuna melt, Harris was shocked at his substandard technique.
For starters, he made the rookie mistake of using way too much mayo in his tuna salad,
and he didn't even drain the tuna, making his salad a watery mess.
What's more, he committed the ultimate cooking sin of renouncing pan-grilling in favor of
microwaving his sandwich.
In response to this caught-on-video sandwich disaster, the two released a video later that
same day in which she schooled him on the art of a well-constructed tuna melt.
Warner seemed a bit skeptical at some of her inclusions, particularly mustard, but he accepted
the tutorial in good spirits, and even asked for her advice on his next project: a bologna
sandwich.
In addition to cooking with fellow politicians and celebrity chefs, Harris has shared kitchen
time with some of her supporters.
On a trip to Iowa, Harris visited a 17-year-old who may be one of her biggest fans.
Together the two baked up a batch of cookies from a recipe passed down from the girl's
grandmother, super-sized "Monster Cookies."
According to a video Harris posted, these flourless cookies contain peanut butter, oatmeal,
and M&Ms, and they seem to taste pretty amazing, too.
Through the years, Harris has also made some famous friends.
Mindy Kaling may be one of the nation's best-known Indian American celebrities, and Kamala Harris
is one of the most prominent Americans of Indian descent in the realm of politics.
When the two of them got together last year at Kaling's place, it was only natural for
the two of them to bond over preparing an Indian dish, masala dosa . This traditional
south Indian food involves a two-step process.
First Kaling and Harris made the dosas, which are pancakes made of rice, black lentils,
and chickpeas, and then they stuffed these with a spicy filling made of potatoes, onions,
and peas.
When they finished cooking and started to eat, Kaling said she would only give the dish
"a hard B minus," but Harris thought Kaling should give herself more credit.
"I was nervous cooking in front of you."
"But you shouldn't be, you're such a good cook."
Kaling then offered to cook a meal for Harris in the White House, which is something we'd
all love to see.
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more Mashed videos about your favorite stuff are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.