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President Obama stopped into San Francisco's Chinatown for some takeout dim sum dumplings today. Unlike here, there didn't sound like much fuming in traffic. From the White House press pool report:
Motorcade arrived at Great Eastern restaurant in San Francisco's Chinatown neighborhood at 1:22pm, where POTUS [shorthand for President of the United States] is making a surprise visit and picking up takeout.When POTUS entered the restaurant, (no jacket, sleeves rolled) the patrons, mostly of Chinese origin, shrieked. "Obama! Obama!" They called getting up out of their chairs, rushing to the president and leaving plates of low mein behind. Lots of commotion.
"How are you? Good to see you!" Obama said repeatedly.
He spent time, working the dining room, posing for pictures and shaking hands. After picking up food, (Pool is trying to find out what he ordered) he worked a small rope line out. Then he walked back in and paid for his lunch, handing the cashier some cash. He carried out two big bags of food. (The bags, of course said Thank You.)
On the way, as the motorcade drove along San Francisco Bay, by the big crowds gathered on the side of the road, waving and snapping pictures. The cable cars stopped as the motorcade cut through the city.
And as the motorcade drove through Chinatown, even more crowds gathered along the side of the road.
An aide later said the president got dumplings. No specifics provided. He then went on to a fundraiser at the Mark Hopkins Intercontinental Hotel on Nob Hill.
* Photo gallery: Two different Chinese (apparently) women grabbed the president's butt while posing for pictures. SFGate
** Last night in LA: The Hollywood Reporter says Obama met privately last night in Holmby Hills with local Asian-American leaders, among them Miky Lee, vice chairwoman of CJ Corp.; Brian Lee, co-founder of LegalZoom.com; and Ted Kim, head of US operations for CJ Corp. In all, Obama raised $4 million on this Southern California swing, campaign sources told THR.