Deli sandwich politics: Mustard vs mayo

WASHINGTON — President Obama did not order mayonnaise with his corned beef, the White House told a blogger who had written a mistaken report on the sandwich.

But in correcting the story, the White House appears to be shifting blame to U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek for what is being called, “mayogate.”

The faux pas — ordering “goyish” mayo with smoked meat — was originally reported in the pool coverage of Obama’s visit to Miami Beach for a Democratic fundraiser prior to the Aug. 24 Florida primary.

On his way back to the airport, Obama and Meek, who won the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate over Jewish real estate magnate Jeff Greene (who was not with the presidential party but presumely would have known how to order his corned beef), made an unannounced stop at Jerry’s Famous Deli on South Beach.

The original report by Miami Herald political writer Beth Reinhard did not specify who the sandwiches were for — only that it was a to-go order and the president paid for the sandwiches himself.

The item was picked up by “Save the Deli,” a blog written by David Sax who has published a book of the same name decrying the corporatization of delis.

“The President of the United States made that cardinal sin of all American politicians,” Sax wrote in an entry headlined, “Oy, Obama.” “He ordered his corned beef sandwich with mayonaise. Oy.”

Someone in the White House —Sax won’t say who, but he’s friendly with David Axelrod, Obama’s Jewish political adviser— emailed him to correct the misimpression. The sandwich the president ordered at Jerry’s Famous Deli was corned beef with mustard; he ordered the one with mayo for Meek.

“Fear not! I was also horrified when I first learned about this, and checked, turns out it was actually Kendrick Meek who ordered corned beef with mayo,” the White House official told Sax. “The president ordered his with mustard (Axelrod’s influence, no doubt!). The confusion happened because technically the president ordered both, since he paid.”

Sax said allowing Meek to order his sandwich with mayo was nonetheless a “minor sin” of leadership, but added: “My presumption blew mayogate way out of proportion.”

Sax nonetheless chided Obama for saying his business at the deli would help small businesses. In his book Sax singles out Jerry’s Famous Deli for buying out smaller delis in the Miami area and corporatizing the product.