With just under a week until election day on Nov. 5, both presidential campaigns are in full swing. Both the presidential candidates and vice-presidential candidates have toured battleground states, visited local businesses and made their final plea to voters. Candidates are throwing everything and anything at the wall right now, hoping something works — even a hot dish recipe.
On the Harris-Walz official website, Tim Walz recently shared and published a digital copy of his famous hot dish recipe. I had to put this dish to the test: Is it any good? I grabbed the necessary ingredients, cooked bratwurst in beer and even brought the dish to campus to have students try it out and tell me their thoughts.
A hot dish is not a casserole, and this is something that Minnesotans will defend (although it quite literally is a casserole in my eyes). It typically contains some sort of starch, in this case, tater tots, and meat along with some vegetables mixed in with canned soup.
The recipe starts with cooking bratwurst in beer and onions. Then, a concoction of cream of cheddar and cream of mushroom soup is mixed with celery. Add the cooked bratwurst over the soups in bite-sized pieces and top it all off with tater tots and cheddar cheese. It’s a relatively easy recipe to follow.
Pro Tip: Don’t throw out the onions as the recipe calls for, but instead put them in the hot dish to cook. Additionally, you’ll need more cheese and less celery than the recipe calls for.
To test out the recipe, The Oakland Post wandered around The Habitat in the Oakland Center and had students sample the dish.
“My favorite part of it is the tater tots. I rate it an eight and a half out of ten,” Bill Spanos shared.
Most students had a similar opinion about the dish, finding it surprisingly flavorful and tasty.
“It’s pretty good, it has a lot of flavors. Like when I first bit into it, I didn’t think it was gonna taste like that, but it was pretty good,” Dalvis Anderson said.
My review: This is an okay dish, nothing that is noteworthy. Although this unexciting concoction is probably meant to portray Walz as a down-to-earth Midwest guy and introduce the simple hot dish he is known for, I probably won’t make it again.
Is this an effective PR campaign strategy? Like most things, it’s complicated. Most people haven’t heard about this recipe, so some more social media promotion would be helpful, such as a short video of him making it.
Additionally, a hot dish recipe isn’t going to sway voters. People will vote based on issues they care about and their thoughts on the presidential candidate. Still, it’s a fun way to promote Walz. His entire persona is being a Midwestern, everyday politician, so this recipe aligns with his image. If anything, this recipe is a fun break from the nasty politics seen in the race.
Tim Walz is not the only one who ran a food-focused campaign stunt. On Oct. 20, former President Donald Trump worked a shift at McDonalds in Feasterville, Pa. Trump served fries and handed customers food at the famous fast-food chain, resulting in a social media frenzy and some viral photos. Love him or hate him, there’s something interesting about a politician with a net worth estimated at $3.9 billion taking off his suit jacket and putting on an apron.
Trump’s actions were done in part to take a stab at opponent Harris, who has been questioned by the media about her claims about working at McDonalds in college. McDonalds could not confirm her employment due to records not dating back to the 80s, which is when she claimed to work there.
Amid all the campaigns and public appearances, it is interesting that food has taken such a prominent place in politics. Food is something that brings people together, whether at Thanksgiving dinner with your politically divided family or at an office potluck party. However, in this instance, food is a tool to make politicians seem more personable and friendly.
