Letter to The President

Letter

Letter to The President

Murray, Hastings Send Washington Asparagus to President Bush

Washington representatives want President to taste truly 'fabulous' Washington state asparagus after his dining experience in Germany

According to media reports, the President called German asparagus, "fabulous" following a dinner with Chancellor Angela Merkel where he dined on the foreign specimen.

Murray and Hastings have long stood up for Washington state's asparagus growers and they couldn't pass up the opportunity to give the President himself a taste of the local finery.

"My dad grew up picking asparagus in the Tri-Cities and I know it's the best in the world. The President was probably just being polite when he complimented German asparagus, but just to make sure, I wanted him to have some truly great asparagus from Washington state," Senator Murray said.

"Anyone who enjoys asparagus is missing out if they haven't tried the asparagus we grow in Washington, and I'm sure he'll appreciate the gift," Hastings said.

Murray and Hastings sent 10 pounds of fresh Washington state asparagus to the White House for the President and his family to enjoy. The asparagus was purchased from Gourmet Trading in Pasco, WA.

The full text of the Murray/Hasting letter to the President as well as a news report on the President's comments about German asparagus follow:

.......................................................................

June 17, 2008
The President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20501

Dear Mr. President:

We were heartened to read in an Associated Press article last week that you are an asparagus fan.

It was reported that after dining with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, you announced to gathered media, "For those in the German press who thought I didn't like asparagus, you're wrong. The German asparagus are fabulous."

Well, Mr. President, if you liked the German variety, we guarantee that you will love Washington state asparagus. We are proud to send you a case of Washington state asparagus to enjoy at the White House.

Washington asparagus is produced on approximately 10,000 acres in the Columbia Basin, the Yakima Valley and the Walla Walla area. About 53 million pounds of asparagus are produced each year, bringing close to 28 million dollars to our home state's economy. Our state's 175 asparagus growers produce forty percent of all the asparagus grown in the United States.

We know you'll love this fine Washington state asparagus and we're happy to include a link for some great recipes courtesy of the Washington Asparagus Commission.

Recipes: http://www.washingtonasparagus.com/default.cfm?body=recipes.cfm

Enjoy!

Sincerely,

U.S. Senator Patty Murray

U.S. Representative Doc Hastings

Source