Japanese state dinner will feature Paul Simon, ice cream, and ‘magic of spring’
First lady Jill Biden previewed Wednesday’s state dinner with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and outlined how the food and decor were chosen to best reflect both the United States and Japan in the spring.
The event marks President Joe Biden‘s fifth state dinner since entering office in 2021, with the most recent coming last October, when Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited the White House. French President Emmanuel Macron, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have also joined the Bidens for state dinners.
The menu itself includes a first course of house-cured salmon garnished with ruby red grapefruits, avocados, cucumbers, and seashell leaf tempura. The main course features a dry-aged ribeye, sauced with sesame sabayon and served with morel mushrooms, mixed greens, fava beans, seashell leaves, and shishito pepper butter. For dessert, the White House will serve a salted miso-caramel-pistachio cake with matcha ganache, cherry ice cream, and a raspberry drizzle.
Jill Biden, White House Social Secretary Carlos Elizondo, and the White House executive chefs told reporters Tuesday evening that the dinner aims to “capture” the “magic of spring” and the lasting friendship between the two nations.
Cherry blossoms and hydrangeas will adorn the tables along with floral linens and pink pastel chairs.
Guests will be greeted by oversized fans, a motif that will continue throughout the East Wing and will be the backdrop behind Joe Biden and Kishida during the dinner itself.
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The White House cross hall will also feature a temporary “river” with live koi swimming throughout, and Paul Simon, a favorite artist of both Jill Biden and Kishida, will perform for attendees after dinner is concluded.
The first lady’s remarks can be seen in full below.
