I can’t even afford to look at the lobster tank in Red Lobster.
A powerhouse lineup of Hollywood, diplomacy and big business made the guest list for President Barack Obama’s lavish dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping.
From “Empire” creator Lee Daniels to Disney CEO Bob Iger, from diplo-eminence Henry Kissinger to uber-philanthropist David Rubenstein, the attendees represented the Obamas’ effort to bring together an A-team of luminaries for Xi at the culminating event of Friday’s daylong state visit.
Others making the cut included ballerina Misty Copeland, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg.
First through the receiving line were former Labor Secretary Elaine Chao and her dad. Faced with the fashion-forward question “What are you wearing?” Chao seemed momentarily stumped.
“Oh my gosh,” she stammered. “It’s something very inexpensive.”
First lady Michelle Obama arrived in a black, off-the-shoulder mermaid gown created by Chinese-American designer Vera Wang.
Katzenberg was asked whether tonight about business or fun.
“Fun — I hope,” he declared.
After a tense day of meetings, there’s nothing like unwinding over a good meal — even if it’s for a black-tie cast of 200 or so.
That’s what White House party planners had in mind for Obama and Xi: The decor for the big East Room spread included a 16-foot silk scroll depicting two roses that the White House says are meant to symbolize “a complete meeting of the minds.”[…]
Asian influences were everywhere in the dinner plans, down to the Meyer lemons in the kurd lychee sorbet. (The citrus fruit is thought to have originated in China.)
Guest chef Anita Lo, owner of Annisa in New York and a past “Top Chef” competitor, is a first-generation Chinese-American from Birmingham, Michigan. The culinary team was cooking up a menu that highlights “American cuisine with nuances of Chinese flavor,” according to the White House. Guests will sup on wild mushroom soup, poached Maine lobster, grilled cannon of Colorado lamb and poppyseed bread and butter pudding.
The entertainment, too, had an Asian influence: Grammy-winner singer and actor Ne-Yo, who was born in Arkansas, says his father is part Chinese.