"Farfallegate" Responses

Despite trying to dismiss the whole thing as a non-issue, John and Cindy McCain are getting a lot of bad press over the McCain Family Recipes stolen from Food Network scandal, dubbed "Farfallegate."


According to the New York Times, Food Network itself (via Carrie Welch) has "no comment," which I find odd, seeing how much press (and hits to the website) Food Network is getting right now.

Perhaps they don't want to enter the political arena, but you can't buy this kind of press, Carrie. Capitalize! Here's some ideas how:

1) Challenge Cindy McCain to a Throwdown with the original recipe creator. If Cindy loses, John McCain will agree to drop out of the race.

2) Develop a show for Cindy called 30 Minute Steals in which she recreates chefs' recipes and offers tips on convincing guests they're her own. ("Tell people your Grandma taught you this recipe!")

3) Have Cindy pass out samples of the passion fruit mousse (also stolen from Food Network and published as her own in the New York Sun) to Chelsea Market passerbys as penance... with an attached coupon for Food Network branded cookware of course, available for purchase just a few stores down.

See--I have lots of ideas. Call me, Carrie:-)

The Times also has a quote from Rachael Ray:

"My recipes are supposed to be accessible to everyone — interns, students, senators and families alike,” Ms. Ray said through a spokesman, Charlie Dougiello. “I personally find it flattering when anyone cooks my food.” Ms. Ray, a Democrat, then invited both McCains to share recipes on her show.

The Washington Post got a quote from Ahi tuna with Napa cabbage slaw recipe creator and host of the former Food Network show Cooking Thin, Kathleen Daelesmans:

"Am I offended?" asked Daelemans, a Democrat who said she voted for Clinton in the Michigan primary. "Absolutely not. I'm flattered. I'd love to cook it for them personally."

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So this "irrelevant" issue has gotten picked up by pretty much every major news outlet and countless minor ones.

And if stealing from Food Network wasn't enough, Wonkette has uncovered yet another recipe Cindy McCain has claimed to be her own. This one was even published! "Her" 3-Minute No-Bake Cookie recipe was stolen directly from Quaker Oats and printed in Yankee Magazine!

Don't be stealing from Quakers! That's just not right. The man in the hat may look nice, but he has a mean streak.

So, to all you presidential candidates out there (and your spouses): let this be a warning to you. It's fine if you don't have your own recipes; just don't claim others as your own. I highly doubt Hills runs home to invent a new cookie recipe after a week-long bus tour across Pennsylvania. But if asked, she better be honest and say it came off the back of a Baker's Chocolate bar and not developed while undergoing sniper fire in Bosnia.

McCain "Family Recipes" Stolen From Food Network

This is wonderful.

I knew that somehow by living in D.C. the worlds of politics and Food Network would collide--and they have. It was reported yesterday that Republican presidential candidate John McCain's website had seven recipes posted under wife Cindy McCain's section attributed as "McCain Family Recipes."

The only problem was they were not original family recipes, but in fact word-for-word copies stolen from Food Network's website, foodnetwork.com.


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"This past Sunday, Lauren Handel, an eagle-eyed attorney from New York, was searching for a specific recipe from Giada DeLaurentis, a chef on the Food Network. Yet whenever she Googled the different ingredients in the recipe, the oddest thing happened: not only did the Food Network's site come up, as expected, but so did John McCain's campaign site."

Umm... did the McCains not think anyone would bother checking these recipes? Do they not know that foodnetwork.com is the "#1 cooking site" in terms of traffic (according to Food Network)? I love how a simple Google searched foiled what probably would have otherwise gone completely unnoticed.

The Huffington Post has more side-by-side comparisons of the other McCain recipes lifted from Giada De Laurentiis and Gale Grand. A Rachael Ray recipe was also apparently tweaked with a few small changes.

The recipe section of John McCain's website has since been taken down.

UPDATE: The McCain campaign has told TMZ that the whole thing was a "low-level unpaid staff debacle" and that the intern in question has been "swiftly dealt with." Uh huhhhhhhhhh. And I bet it was the intern who came on to McCain; not the other way around. Paging: Monica.