Dirksen Senate Cafeteria, Washington, D.C.

We had Senate bean soup, cornbread, and birthday cake (for Przemek) tonight for dinner, inspired by my lunch this week in the Dirksen Senate Office Building cafeteria. It's long been a tradition in the Senate that Senate bean soup is on the menu every day.

I "discovered" the "secret" that distinguishes Senate bean soup from just any old average navy bean soup. Well, it's not really a secret....I hear there are a number of recipes out on the Internet that disclose it. What they do in the Senate kitchens is that once the beans are cooked and done, they thicken the soup by adding instant mashed potato flakes!

My lunch on the Hill was fairly simple. I had a slice of pepperoni pizza, a big side of macaroni and cheese (delicious!), steamed broccoli, and a large fountain drink. My colleagues both had reuben sandwiches, one with a green salad, and the other with fresh strawberries and pineapple chunks plus a container of jalapeño poppers; both got soft drinks. Eating in the Senate cafeterias is not cheap—these simple meals cost about $32 for the three of us.

I wanted to take pictures, but there were signs up in the cafeteria that specifically prohibited taking photographs of the food!

A few months ago, the Washington Post reported that the Senate was going to privatize their cafeterias. There's no evidence that the transition has taken place as yet.