An appetite for politics

CONCORD, N.H. – A man walks into a cafe, proclaims his support for John McCain, then, inexplicably, orders a gingerbread man frosted to resemble Barack Obama.

“I don’t need a bag,” he tells owner Max Gabriello, then bites the head off the cookie and throws the rest in the trash. “That’s what I think of Obama.”

At a time when the negative tone of the presidential race is enough to turn anyone’s stomach, Gabriello and other like-minded bakers, chefs and bartenders hope voters save some room for food and drinks resembling, named for or inspired by the candidates.

“It’s such a serious campaign, I thought it would be fun to do something a bit lighter, show some humor,” says Gabriello, owner of Perfecto’s Caffe in Andover, Mass.

In fact, those who want to express their gut reactions to the candidates can do so from morning to night, breakfast through dessert. Here’s a sampling of the political smorgasbord:

Breakfast

The Silver Diner, an East Coast chain, is dishing up omelets in honor of the candidates. “The Obamalette,” inspired by Chicago’s deep dish pizza, features mozzarella, basil, tomato, onions and Italian sausage. “The McCainlette” pays homage to the Arizona senator’s favorite way to cook – barbecuing – with honey barbecue chicken, cilantro, red and yellow peppers, grilled onions and Jack cheese.

So far, Obama is outselling by a margin of more than 2-1, says co-founder Ype Von Hengst, though many customers prefer the flavors of the McCain omelet.

Cynical voters who don’t see much difference between the political parties can wash down their breakfasts with coffee from 7-Eleven. The convenience store chain is offering red 20-ounce cups printed with McCain’s name or blue cups for Obama. The coffee, however, is the same for both candidates.

Snacks

Laini Fondiller, who once named a cheese “Gone-zales” after embattled former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, swears she’s not trying to send the message that Obama stinks with her washed-rind, cow’s milk cheese called “Barick Obama.”

In fact, she’s long been a fan of the Illinois senator, and when she came across some brick-shaped molds, she was inspired to craft a cheese in his honor. (Barick is how a southern Indiana native pronounces brick, Fondiller explains.)

“Most of ’em I’m poking fun at. This was the first one I actually respected,” she says.

Joining “Barick Obama” on shelves this winter will be another cheese, “Pale In Comparison.” Both will be available from November through March in New York, Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire – where Obama sampled some during a campaign stop last winter.

Obama also has tried New Hampshire-made confections from Burdick’s Chocolates, which is selling quarter- and half-pound samplers with flavors tied to places the candidates have lived. The McCain assortment features Arizona Citrus and Hot Pepper Tequila. The Obama box features Hawaiian Pineapple and Kenyan Coffee.

Lunch/dinner

In vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s home state, the Lion’s Den in Anchorage has created the McPalin Grilled Pig Sandwich, born out of the controversy that erupted when Obama said, “You can put lipstick on a pig, it’s still a pig.”

The sandwich – grilled pork tenderloin with caramelized apples, red onions, cheddar cheese and bacon – is garnished with a side of lipstick and fries.

Elsewhere, burgers appear to be the most popular main-dish fare.

At Good Stuff Eatery in Washington, there’s a McCain burger with roasted red pepper salsa, Jack cheese and chipotle mayonnaise and an Obama burger with applewood bacon, blue cheese, onion marmalade and horseradish mayonnaise.

Beer and cocktails

Candidate cocktails inspire some of the most cringe-worthy puns.

At Foley’s NY Pub & Restaurant, there’s the “Al Obama Slammer,” the “McCain Margarita,” the “Biden Seek,” and “Sarah’s Sloe Gin Fizz.” In the Seattle area, McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurants offer “Love on the Ba-racks” and the “McCain Maverick-tini.”

The Ritz-Carlton in Boston honors Obama, a Harvard grad, with the “O’Bama” (“Irish Enough”), and McCain with the “Mac,” (“Straight Up, Straight Talk”). The first features Irish whiskey, cognac, butterscotch Schnapps, creme de menthe and cream. The latter consists of Maccallan 15 Single Highland Malt Scotch.

For the undecided voters, there’s the “United Purple States of America” with red cranberry juice, blue curacao, lemon and raspberry vodka.

Half Moon Bay Brewing Co. in Princeton-by-the Sea, Calif., is pitting Obama against McCain in its “Alelection ’08” promotion.

“We thought what better way to celebrate the diversity of ideas and uniqueness of the American process that happens every four years than with something even our founding fathers enjoyed, beer and ale?” says marketing director Wayne Meyer.

But like the 7-Eleven coffee, the ale is actually the same for both candidates.

“We had to do it the politically correct way,” Meyer said. “We didn’t want to have one side accusing the other of having some unique advantage or something that might be perceived as giving one side an advantage over the other.”

Dessert

Stuffed yet? Dessert appears to be the most popular category of candidate food, with cookies, cupcakes and more.

Mail-order baker Mrs. Beasley’s offers shortbread cookies and vanilla cupcakes with the candidates’ pictures and campaign logos printed using food coloring inks. In California, SusieCakes offers made-from-scratch “Red State” red velvet cupcakes and “Blue State” vanilla cupcakes inscribed with the candidates’ names, along with donkey and elephant-shaped frosted sugar cookies.

Meanwhile, a trade group, the Retail Bakers of America, is compiling “voting” results from 46 bakeries in 22 states that are selling candidate-themed cookies. By late October, Obama led 57 to 43 percent.

Back at the Perfecto Caffe, Gambriello says he doesn’t make much money on his cookies because they are so labor intensive. He’s stopped selling a Palin version because it took his staff too long to pipe her tiny glasses and lipstick. And there’s no Biden cookie, though he has nothing against the Delaware senator.

“On a cookie level, McCain and Biden look very similar,” he said.