Pride Cookies At President's LGBT Reception

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...And a visiting reporter is surprised to see White House staff toting bags of McDonald's food on campus...
A reporter visiting the White House last Friday for President Obama's annual LGBT Pride Month reception was thrilled when he was gifted with a treat from the Pastry Shop as he waited in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room to enter the event. Decorated with bright stripes of fondant, the cookie was in the shape of an iconic gay symbol, the rainbow flag, noted Steven Thrasher, a staff reporter for the Village Voice. It was his "first ever trip inside of the White House," Thrasher wrote on his "Big Gay Food Blog." (Above: Thrasher's photo of his cookie in the briefing room)

"The White House served us a cookie!" Thrasher wrote, apparently using the royal "we."

"We were there to cover the White House LGBT Pride month celebration, and while as press we couldn't eat any of the delicious looking food or drink...they were kind enough to send out rainbow cookies to the briefing room."

Thrasher gave a thumbs-up to the very busy White House Pastry Shop; "we" had been assuming the treat would be "bland and stale," he wrote, but instead it was "really delicious."

"This was as light and delicious a butter cookie as we've ever tasted--buttery, neither overly moist nor too flaky--with a rich, thick, rainbow colored frosting," Thrasher wrote. With the photo at left, Thrasher wrote "Equality=Yummy" in the caption.

Executive Pastry Chef Bill Yosses' recipe for White House Sweet Dough Butter Cookies, a staple for receptions as well as Christmas and Halloween, IS HERE. Other treats served at the President's reception, the largest Pride event he's ever hosted with about 500 guests, included cheese puffs, chocolate and vanilla mini cupcakes, and canapes.  Champagne was flowing, and there was at least one marriage proposal in the middle of the party.

Let's Move!...to McDonald's...
Thrasher also reported that he was surprised to see "a lot" of White House staff returning to campus carrying bags of take-out food from McDonald's. Again, he uses the royal "we":

"First, as we waited to go through security, we saw a lot (and we mean a lot) of staffers coming back from a Mickey D's run. Would Michelle approve of all that McDonald's?" he wrote.

"Michelle" being First Lady Michelle Obama, of course, who is running a national campaign to end childhood obesity. There's a very busy McDonald's located within spitting distance of the White House at 17th Street Northwest.

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*Photos by Steven Thrasher