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Dinner is served

16 Comments

U.S. President Barack Obama stands with the emperor and empress at the beginning of a state dinner at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Thursday night.

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16 Comments
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Nomo, a Japanese pitcher, who played wonderful in MLB was there too. It's cool.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Dinner is served, that's good, but there is a hunger for pride and power.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

What did they eat? Empress kimono is magical.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I see that Crown Princess Masako wasn't allowed to attend. Too stressful for her to have dinner. I guess she had a sandwich in her room.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

I see that Crown Princess Masako wasn't allowed to attend. Too stressful for her to have dinner. I guess she had a sandwich in her room.

Looks to me like she's standing right there next to her husband.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

That is Princess Kiko, wife of Prince Akishino, who is seated to the right of the empress. Crown Princess Masako was not at the banquet.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I bet that dinner was way better than Sukiyabashi Jiro's dinner.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

What caught my eye was the lady in blue wearing a sleeveless gown, it doesn't seem the right thing to wear on such an important dinner.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

The critical question is "Did Obama eat all that was put in front of him"?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I hope Obama enjoyed his macha ice.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Now I see why Michelle obama didn't visit Japan.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Why does President Obama have to eat everything that is served? This is childish. Protocol, and common sense, says that he has to appear to be happy and eat what he likes. What he can not do at all is to refuse to eat. There are three golen rules of a well educated person that applies here: 1) don't ever complain it's too hot or humid, even in the tropics, 2) never get high on drinks, 3) eat a bit at dinners and functions, even when you're not hungry.

-6 ( +1 / -7 )

Lost: all well mannered people know that you eat all of what is put in front of you. Otherwise you don't get macha aisu for dessert!!!!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Protocol, and common sense, says that he has to appear to be happy and eat what he likes.

Rest assured that the menu (for all Obama's meals) was scrutinised and pored over long before he arrived, to make sure there would be nothing at all on his plate that he didn't like and wouldn't want to eat.

If I were a visiting head of state, they would not serve matcha aisu for dessert.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

The important question is (at least to rabid conservatives) is did he bow to the emperor again?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

@Cleo: sure, but it doesn't mean he has to eat, or even try, everything that is on the table.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

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