海角大神

With French President Fran莽ois Hollande at his side, President Obama joked at the White House Tuesday that on the French leader鈥檚 first trip to America in 1974 as a young man, he crossed the country 鈥渟tudying鈥� the phenomenon of American fast food.

Indeed when Mr. Hollande sits down Tuesday evening at the White House state dinner in his honor, he鈥檒l be served American cuisine 鈥� but it won鈥檛 be hamburgers and hot dogs.

The two presidents are celebrating what they say is the closest cooperation between the two old allies in years, if not decades.

At a White House press conference Tuesday afternoon 鈥� which Mr. Obama opened by wishing everyone there a 鈥渂on apr猫s-midi,鈥� or 鈥済ood afternoon鈥� in French 鈥� the two leaders painted a tableau of unity and common interest on issues ranging from Syria and Iran鈥檚 nuclear capabilities to climate change.

But just as almost any wedding is about 鈥渢he dress,鈥� interest in Hollande鈥檚 state visit 鈥� at least to the extent it extends beyond the French leader鈥檚 tumultuous affairs of the heart 鈥� is largely focused on the state dinner Barack and Michelle Obama will hold for Hollande Tuesday night. 聽

The 350 guests will assemble in a heated tent on the South Lawn and be seated at tables featuring bouquets of blue flowers 鈥� iris and delphinium. 聽The lavish meal will include a range of American produce, from 鈥渃aviar鈥� 鈥� not culled from some distant sea but 鈥渇rom the estuaries of Illinois鈥� according to the 鈥淎cross America鈥� menu 鈥� to Colorado beef served with 12 varieties of potatoes selected from farms in New York, Idaho, and California.

The 鈥淲inter Garden Salad,鈥� consisting of 鈥減etite鈥� radishes and carrots, pays tribute to Michelle Obama鈥檚 White House Kitchen Garden, where 鈥� according to the menu 鈥� 鈥渓ittle hints of spring are already starting to sprout.鈥� The red wine vinaigrette will be made with a hint of honey from the White House beehive.

The chocolate malted cake to be served for dessert will boast bittersweet chocolate from Hawaii, tangerines from Florida, and will be served 鈥溍� la mode鈥� with vanilla ice cream from Pennsylvania 鈥� although the American adaptation of a French expression may confuse the French leader, since no Frenchman would associate 鈥溍� la mode鈥� with ice cream.

Entertainment will be provided by singer Mary J. Blige.

Of course the issue on every guest鈥檚 mind will be the state of Hollande鈥檚 personal relationships. Not to be outdone by his predecessor, Nicholas Sarkozy 鈥� who announced just days before his 2007 visit to Washington that he was getting a divorce 鈥� Hollande recently announced the end of his longtime relationship with former French journalist Valerie Trierweiler. Hollande had been caught by the French press arriving for a late-night rendezvous at the apartment of a French actress.

The French and American journalists assembled at the White House press conference may have wanted to ask Hollande about his personal affairs, but instead they kept to serious international issues.

On Syria, the two leaders announced that their two countries will be seeking a United Nations Security Council resolution this week to force the Syrian government to allow unrestricted humanitarian access to the country鈥檚 besieged 鈥� and in some cases, starving 鈥� civilian population.

On Iran, both leaders insisted they will continue to uphold existing sanctions even as international negotiations get under way this weekend toward a comprehensive resolution of Iran鈥檚 nuclear challenge.

As for a recent delegation of dozens of French businesses that traveled to Tehran, Hollande said he could not control the private sector鈥檚 travel agenda but added, 鈥淚 constantly let them know that sanctions are enforced and will continue to be enforced.鈥�

For his part, Obama 鈥� perhaps in a signal to Congress, which largely disapproves of the sanctions relief that Iran won in an interim deal 鈥� issued a warning to companies that might test the waters by doing business with Iran, saying, 鈥淲e will come down on them like a ton of bricks.鈥�

With the two countries, allies from the days of Benjamin Franklin and the Marquis de Lafayette, professing to see virtually eye to eye even on contentious issues like a transatlantic free-trade deal under negotiation and NSA spying, one French journalist asked Obama if perhaps France had replaced Great Britain as the European power having a 鈥渟pecial relationship鈥� with America.

But Obama answered without hesitation, as if he had come prepared for the question.

鈥淚 have two daughters, they are both gorgeous and wonderful and I would never choose between them,鈥� he said. Beaming, he added, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 how I feel about our outstanding European partners.鈥�