This was the Big Deal in a Big Week as the spotlights wheeled southwest from Manhattan to arrive at the East Room of the White House.

The annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is what provided the venue for most UN member states to send senior delegations to the event. Aside from the various activities of the world body, two major conflicts are raging outside the direct influence of UNGA.

Expectations were high as President Trump threatened Iran with annihilation while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a formal press conference to tell the American leader to buzz off.

We discussed some of the issues with the four men who provide the public face of the IRGC. There is the possibility that the terms advanced by President Masoud Pezeshkian could represent an exit from the current stalemate, but those terms had been rejected by the IRGC hardliners and we are not sure who is answering the phone for the Supreme Leader.

So that was the state of affairs in Mid-town as Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived at Andrews AFB with his wife Peng Liyuan. Like everything else this week, there was an unusual greeting on the tarmac with First Lady Melania Trump in attendance to balance the Chinese delegation’s First Lay

Miles is off dealing with some loose ends in Pentagon City, so he left me to handle the morning summary. Rather than blather on about the reflections from the smoke-and-mirrors of the Big Week, I thought I would walk you through the menu at the State Dinner last night, since I wanted to have a buffet cart from the galley to show our solidarity with visions of peace and cooperation.

Fish, fresh vegetables and friendship were reported to be on the menu for last night’s dinner, and I dispatched Splash and Vic to go over to the Whole Foods for some items to complement what the Big People were consuming. In the East Room, the three-course meal featured “American ingredients with subtle Chinese influence.”

Melania’s office issued a statement saying “The meal began with a toast of Schramsberg ‘Blanc De Noir,’ honoring the historic ‘Toast to Peace’ shared by President Nixon and Premier Zhou Enlai in Beijing in 1972. The same American sparkling wine served at that historic gathering continues to be enjoyed at White House functions today.”

Here, the Boomers mixed their traditional cocktails while the younger, hipper Interns were drinking box white.

Their first course consisted of yellow squash velouté and a wild mushroom fricassée, complemented by crispy pancetta and topped with a drizzle of scallion oil. My answer to that was a favorite that gathers the spirit of the season: Stuffed Peppers!

In the East Room, that was followed by a main course of sesame-crusted sea bass, served with braised baby bok choy and roasted eggplant, finished with sauce vert. In response, I gave Vic the company card to stop and get the best fresh fish catch at the store. He met my requirement by doing something simple, like grabbing five boxes of High Liner Foods Budweiser-battered Alaska pollock 9 oz. fillets.

These are a little pricey for usual meals, so I will ensure the Finance crew will get some perfectly golden-brown morsels with a delicious crunchy texture to go along with the expense sheet.

For dessert, the White House menu called for a vanilla crémeux with a sour cherry confit center atop a walnut frangiapane. White House Honey ice cream was presented on the side to complement President Xi’s announcement that two Giant Panda Bears will make an extended visit to the Atlanta Zoo. It marks a return to Panda diplomacy, which previously expired as four bears were returned to China in a signal of declining relations.

The panda announcement came as Xi and President Donald Trump opened the three-day visit which ends today. Expectations had been high in what had been expected to be a consequential round of talks on trade, artificial intelligence, Taiwan and the ongoing conflict involving Iran. We will see more about the results once the jets are in the air, bringing the World’s Leaders home to safety.

I don’t have the time to mess around with fancy sugary things, so I told Vic to get some boxes of frozen stuff he would be inclined to eat.

I admit it was cheatin’ on the menu, but it is possible that something got done this week on either side of the Big Storms in Mid-Town and across the Potomac. We will have to see about that. But it is useful that the leaders are speaking politely. Maybe they will stop launching the rockets!

We’ll see, you know? Care for some dessert to go with your coffee?

Copyright 2026 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com