It was a mouthwatering menu. Not that you'd expect
less for $2,000 a plate.
Seared beef tenderloins with golden tomatoes on an herb-encrusted
baguette. Grilled garlic chicken with smoked gouda on a honey wheat
wrap. Fruits and gourmet olives and crudite. A gourmet luncheon with
only one thing missing: something to eat it with.
The explanation was at the bottom of the menus distributed at President
Bush's $1.5 million Charlotte fund-raiser Monday.
"At the request of the White House, silverware will not accompany the
table settings," it said in discreetly fine print.
No silver. No plastic.
The lack of utensils might have been why many plates went virtually
untouched.
The reason: So the tinkle of silver wouldn't disrupt the president's
speech.