Calories We Can Believe In.

Add this to your list of good things about Obama: his abiding love for the Hawaiian plate lunch. For those who may be unfamiliar with this magical combination of fat, starch, and protein, the plate lunch is the undisputed king of all bad-for-you regional cuisine. While variations abound, the classic Hawaiian plate lunch consists of a slab of greasy meat, two scoops of rice, and a heaping scoop of mayo-drenched mac salad, crammed onto an irresistible styrofoam platter. Translation: it's the best thing ever. And according to an article in the New York Times, Hawaii's beloved culinary creation may find itself thrust onto the national stage:

AMONG the myriad people and institutions predicted to profit from Barack Obama’s victory, why has no one cited the plate lunch?

This traditional Hawaiian meal — validated as fine fare by the president-elect when he proclaimed his longing for one during a vacation in Oahu last summer — might be poised to enter the consciousness of mainlanders in all of its fatty, greasy deliciousness.

It all seems like odd fare for a man as bookmark-thin as Mr. Obama, who seems to treasure his treadmill. “I think it is really funny he still eats plate lunch,” Ms. Philpotts said. “Because he is so healthy.”

But she strongly suggested — at least to my ears — that the plate lunch in part accounts for his strong showing in Hawaii. “I think it is because when he comes back here he is so cool, he just kind of slips back into local ways.”

If only Obama would use his stature to encourage L&L to expand into the midwest. A slight bump in national obesity levels would be a small price to pay for so much food-induced happiness.