There are some couples out there that are so close they start to slowly morph into the same person. We all know these couples, they wear matching outfits, they say the same jokes, hell, sometimes they even slowly start to look like one another. Well it turns out, President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden just might be that type of couple. According to the Washington Post, the Bidens hit up popular Washington DC restaurant Red Hen and committed, what some consider, the ultimate culinary sin (aside from putting ketchup on overcooked steak, of course) — they ordered the same dish.
The meal in question consisted of a chicory salad, grilled bread, and butter, and two bowls of rigatoni. Not exactly a thrill ride and nothing seems amiss. And yet, it led to Washington Post’s congressional reporter Paul Kane citing his own dinner crew, linking to a piece about the meal (written by Emily Heil), and offering this very strong take:
This is a huge no-no with my dinner crew. At one restaurant there’s a rush to call dibs on prime rib, because then no one else is allowed to order it.
Vintage @emilyaheil here. https://t.co/HPDJrUJcNR
— Paul Kane (@pkcapitol) February 28, 2023
We respect Kane for drawing a line in the sand, but as you might expect, the internet had all sorts of opinions on this level of caring-what-the-hell-others-do-with-their-time. Here are some of the best takes we found.
Paul, if we ever went to dinner, I would wait for you to order, and then order the exact same thing while never breaking eye contact with you. What are you gonna even do about it.
— Franklin Stove Expropriator (@agraybee) March 1, 2023
Perhaps FLOTUS ordered for the table and said “my husband will have the same.” Perfectly fine.
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) February 28, 2023
Life is too short for me to care about if someone else orders the same dish I do.
I order what I want and let the chips fall where they may.
I’m a real rebel.— MimZWay (@MimZWay) March 1, 2023
That is bizarre and you should try to be more normal with your dinner crew.
— Mark R. Yzaguirre (@markyzaguirre) March 1, 2023
It’s his dinner crew because nobody else will eat with a handful of weirdos who call dibs on specific meals.
— Dana Roach (@danaroach) March 1, 2023
Once, in 2007, my wife and I both ordered the Cobb Salad. The server’s visible shudder almost made me change my mind, but I thought, “There’s no going back now.” Years of individual and couples therapy ensued, and while we’re on solid footing now, no one orders the Cobb anymore.
— Mark Muh Words
(@MarkFromTheDark) March 2, 2023
I order prime rib and I don’t let anyone at the table order anything until I finish my meal. Real power move. I’m the biggest person so they fear me.
— brad bunny (@MrButterChicken) March 2, 2023
Is this some endearing family tradition, or does your “dinner crew” just enjoy being arbitrarily limited in enjoying their meal choices?
What do you do if you are served a chef’s multi-course tasting menu with all the same dishes?
Weird.
— Keysfins #Vax’d & Masked By Choice (@Keysfins) March 1, 2023
My husband and I have been together for 35 years. We have often said ‘I’ll have the same’ when ordering dinner. You know, it’s food…that we both decided we wanted that night.
— Maudi63
(@maudi63) March 1, 2023
My wife and I do this quite a lot when we go out. If we’re at a place and there’s a dish there we’re both partial to, we often order the same thing. So, “who does that?” Humans. Because we have foods we like.
—
Dante Atkins
> “Getting the same thing as the person you’re eating dinner with is silly,” she says. “The whole point of going out to eat is getting to try as many things as possible.”
Well I don’t know about any of you, but for me, that is certainly NOT the whole point of going out to eat.
— Mark Ryan
The grass: how long has it been since you and Emily have touched it?
— Ragnarok Lobster (@eclecticbrotha) March 1, 2023
Dear God, man.
I hate to pile on, but how does someone even think this, much less type it and send it out to the world?
— Matt Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell (@Casarino) March 1, 2023
nothing i love more than having a nice dinner with a bunch of rules to follow
— horse massacre (@torqpenderloin) March 2, 2023
Asking “Who does that?” about something that literally all normal people do is a great way to reveal that you’ve never met a normal person. The only baffling thing here is the weird idea that people go to restaurants for any other reason than to eat whatever they like, period.
— K. Riter (@AudMcMacca) March 1, 2023
Once you’ve been married over 40 years, you can do whatever you want.
— Michael Mammay (@MichaelMammay) March 2, 2023
I love doing this at In-N-Out
I’ll order a burger with fries then watch my friends starve
— Josh Larky (@jlarkytweets) March 1, 2023
The Red Hen’s Mezzi Rigatoni, which features tomato, fennel sausage ragu, and pecorino romano is the restaurant’s signature dish and WaPo reports that about 50 to 70 orders a night are sold, so… maybe Joe and Jill both wanted to experience what the restaurant is most famous for. Or maybe Joe and Jill are one of those weird couples that are slowly morphing into the same person mentioned above. Only the Secret Service knows for sure, so we’ll all just have to theorize.
We’re kidding, don’t theorize about that. Focus on stuff (college loans!) that matters and leave people to order in peace.