What's for dinner? Speculation on the menu for Obama's first state dinner.

Tonight, President Obama faces another first of his presidency -- his first state dinner, which will honor Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Weighty topics are expected to be discussed, including Afghanistan, climate change and nuclear energy cooperation. But something else has garnered the attention of the American public. Namely, what will be on the dinner menu.

A New York Times piece by Michele Humes today discussed a longstanding presidential predilection for French fare.

"Despite our presidents’ homegrown tastes, White House state dinners have almost always been distinctly French in flavor. Even the Kennedys, who made a point of serving American wines on state occasions, never thought to pair them with American cooking."

However, the NYT failed to note a key exception. Lesley M. M. Blume of The Huffington Post, however, remembered that the 'freedom fries' loving George W. Bush went tex-mex for his first state dinner, which hosted Mexican President Vicente Fox.

"President Bush heartily welcomed President Fox to the "Casa Blanca" and the evening ended with a whopping fireworks display. The dinner menu nodded both to Mexico's cuisine and President Bush's tex-mex sensibilities:

• Maryland crab & pozole chorizo with summer vegetables
• Pepita-crusted bison
• Poblano whipped potatoes
• Salad of gold and red tomatoes
• Mango and coconut ice cream dome"

President Obama has tapped chef Marcus Samuelsson of Aquavit in New York City for tonight's dinner.

According to Marian Burros at Politico,

"Samuelsson is the most prominent American chef of African descent today. He was born in Ethiopia and adopted by a Swedish couple who raised him in Sweden; he is now a naturalized American citizen."

The question now: what will Samuelsson prepare? Humes is hoping for something that is "American in a more nuanced sense of the word." Curry is said to involved.

I'm all for curry, though I can't help but imagine what a truly authentic American menu would look like. Here are a couple of dishes that might fit the bill, but that I hope (for the love of all that is good and holy) are not served to foreign dignitaries. Or anyone, for that matter:

To start, diners will enjoy deep fried onion rings accompanied with a hearty Kraft cheese dip. For their main entree, a choice between savory meat loaf with Heinz ketchup crust and Dorito chip sprinkles and braised turducken (a turkey stuffed with a duck stuffed with a chicken) with green bean casserole and bacon crunches. Naturally, freedom fries will be available for the table. The meal will conclude with a Snickers cake from Baskin Robbins. There are no vegetarian options.

Ah, the taste of America.

UPDATE: Jane Black of The Washington Post has the scoop:

Potato and Eggplant Salad
White House Arugula with Onion Seed Vinaigrette
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Red Lentil Soup with Fresh Cheese
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Roasted Potato Dumplings with Tomato Chutney, Chickpeas and Okra
or
Green Curry Prawns with Caramelized Salsify, Smoked Collard Greens and Coconut Aged Basmati Rice
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Pumpkin Pie Tart
Pear Tatin
Whipped Cream and Caramel Sauce
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Petits Fours and Coffee
Cashew Brittle
Pecan Pralines
Passion Fruit and Vanilla Gelees
Chocolate-Dipped Fruit