Washington If Thursday’s state dinner will begin with marinated millet and green corn kernel salad, compressed watermelon, and tangy avocado sauce, the expected 400 guests will then move to stuffed portobello mushrooms and creamy saffron-infused risotto for their main course in what will be an all-vegetarian menu in a nod to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dietary preferences.
Read: PM Modi in US: Joe Biden to host lavish State dinner. What you should know
Upon request, guests will, however, have the option of ordering sumac-roasted sea bass, and will be able to pick between lemon-dill yoghurt sauce, crisped millet cakes, and summer squashes. For dessert, on the table will be rose and cardamom-infused strawberry cakes. Accompanying it, for those who like their wine, will be a selection of the Stone Tower Chardonnay Kristi 2021, Patel Red Blend 2019, and Domain Carneros Brut Rose.
Involved with every aspect of organising the state dinner, First Lady Jill Biden, soon after wrapping up an event with Modi, offered a preview of the festivities at the White House on Wednesday evening eastern time (early Thursday morning IST) that will be held in honour of the PM on June 22 — a highlight of the state visit.
“When we come together around a table, to break bread and share stories — when we sit shoulder to shoulder, and speak heart to heart — we find the invisible threads that tie us to one another. We see the possibilities those connections bring. It’s a lesson I learned from my mom: that with a handful of fresh flowers and a set of candles, an ordinary dinner could become a magical moment,” she said, adding that was the spirit she hoped to bring to the official state dinner for Modi.
Biden added that the world’s oldest and the world’s largest democracies were coming together, and after years of strengthening ties, the US-India partnership was deep and expansive “as we jointly tackle global challenges”. “But our relationship isn’t only about governments. We’re celebrating the families and friendships that span the globe—those who feel the bonds of home in both of our countries.”
{{/usCountry}}Biden added that the world’s oldest and the world’s largest democracies were coming together, and after years of strengthening ties, the US-India partnership was deep and expansive “as we jointly tackle global challenges”. “But our relationship isn’t only about governments. We’re celebrating the families and friendships that span the globe—those who feel the bonds of home in both of our countries.”
{{/usCountry}}Since Modi is vegetarian, Biden asked chef Nina Curtis, “a plant-based pioneer”, to work with White House chefs to create the menu. The millet options are an acknowledgment of the International Year of Millets, an initiative close to Modi’s heart.
Guests, who will include America’s top political leadership from the executive and legislative branches, prominent Indian-Americans from diverse fields including popular culture, and the Indian delegation, will walk across the South Lawns, with its majestic view of the Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial on one side and the White House on the other, into a pavilion draped with in rich green with saffron-coloured flowers at every table, the colours of the Indian flag. Imagery of a peacock, a nod to India’s national bird, and the bald eagle, America’s national bird, will constitute the backdrop as President Joe Biden and Modi offer their toasts for the evening, while lotus blooms will be incorporated through the decor and landscape.
And among those who will entertain the guests will be the Grammy-award winner violinist, soloist, recitalist, chamber musician and conductor, Joshua Bell, the President’s own US marine band chamber orchestra and Penn Masala, a South Asian a capella group, who with their innovative music fusing Indian and western traditions bring alive the house, from the First Lady’s home state of Pennsylvania.
'PM Modi Vegetarian': Jill Biden On What All White House Has Prepared For Dinner | Watch
It wasn’t confirmed till the time of going to print, but some in the know indicated that there will be a surprise offering at the end — a special performance of Naatu Naatu, the RRR song that won an Academy award.
“After the last plates are cleared — with new connections forged, and old ones strengthened — guests will end their evening walking across a moonlit lawn. There they will be greeted by hundreds of glowing lanterns guiding them home, illuminating their pathway with all the warmth and love and laughter we hope they take away from our time together,” Jill Biden said, as Washington DC got ready to host what was a night for the history books.