41 years ago on April 28, 1984, President Ronald Reagan hosted a ‘reciprocal dinner’ in China
A Lunch and a Dinner
By Dr Khalid Siddiqui
Ohio
On Wednesday, June 19, 2025, President Donald Trump had lunch with Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal General Syed Asim Munir, at the White House. What was discussed there has not been reported officially, but every Pakistani has a ‘confirmed’ opinion on it, which varies from person to person. Here is the all-zabiha menu served during the lunch:
First Course: Goat cheese gateau (cheese cake); tomato jam; buttermilk biscuit crumbles; young, variegated lettuces
Main Course: Rack of spring lamb; burnt cipollini soubise (French onion sauce); Carolina gold rice; jambalaya (a flavorful rice dish with meat and/or seafood, vegetables, and spices, originally from Louisiana)
Dessert: Nectarine tart; crème fratche (cultured cream) ice cream.
Dinner
41 years ago on April 28, 1984, President Ronald Reagan hosted a ‘reciprocal dinner’ in China. This was the first Western State dinner not held in the embassy or a government hall. Instead, it was planned at the Great Wall Hotel in Peking (now Beijing) managed by Peter Sun who was born in Hong Kong and trained at Cornell. It was quite challenging for the Chinese because, with 600 guests, it was the largest dinner up until that time.
All the arrangements were to be made by the Chinese except for the menu which was chosen by Nancy Reagan. Here is the menu:
Galantine Neptune (cold seafood appetizer); Consommé with Fines Herbs (French soup with fine herbs); Cheese straws (Cheese crackers, shaped like a straw); Roast Tom Turkey (roasted male turkey); Chestnut Stuffing (a flavored stuffing made with roasted chestnuts, bread and herbs like sage and thyme; onions and celery); Giblet Gravy (Gravy made from the liver, heart and gizzard of turkey); Fresh Garden Vegetable; Panda Salad (a Filipino dessert consisting of young coconut, coconut jell, jelly which was flavored with the leaves of pandan plant and sweetened condensed milk); Ice Praline (Ice cream containing pieces of nuts and caramelized sugar; and wine); Jasmine Tea or Coffee; and three types of vintage California wine selected by Nancy Reagan.
This Thanksgiving dinner was something new for the Chinese. Turkey from Hong Kong was sampled but rejected by the French Chef. So, 40 frozen male turkeys were flown in from California. A professor from the Peking Agricultural College was in charge of getting the fresh vegetables. Most of it came from the hotel’s greenhouse. Other stuff was locally produced: 176 lbs of beef for consommé; 440 lbs of prawns, scallops, Mandarin fish and turbot for seafood appetizer; and 132 lbs of hearts of palm for the salad. For dessert, the ice cream was made with 22 lbs of almonds, 600 eggs, 36 quarts of cream and three bottles of Grand Marnier wine. A twelve-piece Chinese orchestra was trained for two weeks with the sheet music sent over by the White House.
Every day for one week, 140 Chinese waiters and waitresses performed the full-dress rehearsal for five hours. (The waiters were required to be, at least, 6 ft tall.) There were 60 tables, each for ten guests. As the dinner was to be served between the speeches, the waiters were trained to serve and clear the tables within the 80 minute-break in the speaking sessions. Three full-scale tasting sessions were held for the White House advance party. Photographs of the food and formal place settings were dispatched to Nancy Reagan for her approval.
On the day of the party, 76 hotel chefs and kitchen staff spent 4 ½ hours cooking and carving. Place setting included German chinaware; Irish linen; and French crystal, candelabras and silverware.
Despite some concern about them not enjoying it, the Chinese cleaned every plate of their Thanksgiving dinner.
The event was reported by Time magazine on May 7, 1984.
