More than just hope is taking root at the White House as its new occupants settle in.  Many feel the Obamas -- and their new ways of doing things -- represent an opportunity to bring attention to issues that have been off the radar for the past eight (or more) years.  The new food movement is just one of those issues, and now, according to the New York Times, there's a group urging the Obamas to plant a kitchen garden at the White House.

A group called Kitchen Gardeners International is running a campaign called "Eat the View" in hopes of convincing President Obama to grow food on the White House lawn.  To that end, the group has produced a video (posted at the NYT article) that documents some of the creative and productive ways the grounds have been used over the course of different presidencies.  It's a fun video - and educational to boot.

Enthusiasm for the idea of eating locally at the White House  -- thus giving the idea a higher profile nationally -- has its detractors.  Recently Todd Kilman, a restaurant critic, posted a blog piece criticizing Alice Waters (who he calls a "righteous locavore") for being too strident in her support of hiring a new White House chef, accusing her of acting like "the food police."  Waters is the founder of Chez Panisse, a famous restaurant in Berkeley California known for its delicious locally-grown menu, and has advocated for the idea of hiring a new presidential chef sympathetic to the local food movement.  Comments to Kilman's post weigh in energetically on both sides of the issue.

With all the people and their respective causes trying to get the new president's attention, it remains unclear if the Obamas will decide a White House vegetable garden is important; the truth is, the issue of food may fall far down the list of the new president's priorities. 

Stay tuned. 

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