better homes and gardens white hobnail dinner plate

Standing, Photograph, Flag, Dress, Formal wear, Suit, Style, Monochrome, Monochrome photography, Black-and-white,

Art Rickerby/Getty Images

1. George Washington was the inaugural tastemaker when it came to establishing White House entertainment etiquette. Though he and Martha planned many congressional dinners and state banquets, one frequent guest called the dinners "remarkably dull affairs," perhaps because of the president's generally dour disposition, his tendency to drum his silverware on the tabletop, and his refusal to suffer latecomers.

2. Though Thomas Jefferson preferred Madeira, he regularly served four to six bottles of wine with dinner. The third president racked up a $10,000 wine bill over his eight-year term—a princely sum to say the least.

3. As the undisputed ringleader of Washington society, Dolley Madison defied tradition by sitting at the head of the table during parties, with her chronically shy husband seated quite contently at her side. When British soldiers burst into the dining room during the War of 1812, they found a lavish table that Dolley had set for 50 in preparation for the night's entertainment before she was evacuated.

4. After being sworn in, Ulysses S. Grant hired an old quartermaster from his army days as the White House cook. To the shock and horror of first lady Julia Grant, the president often reverted back to his mess hall days by engaging in food fights with his children. Julia soon replaced the cook, ushering in an era of opulence which the White House hasn't seen since with dinners of over 29 courses. The president remained an army man of simple tastes—there was always room for rice pudding, his favorite dish.

5. The Roosevelts tended to serve hearty American food in a stripped-down setting, including creamed chipped beef, bread pudding, and fruitcake. Among the most famous culinary happenings from this administration was the joint decision by Eleanor and FDR to repeatedly serve hot dogs to their summer visitors, including the royal family.

6. Jackie Kennedy's greatest innovation was the disbandment of the banquet table in favor of more contemporary round tables—not only did they accommodate a greater number of guests, but they allowed diners to mingle freely by table-hopping. Though John F. Kennedy preferred traditional New England cuisine such as clam chowder, Jackie had more cosmopolitan tastes and brought French fare back to the presidential table in a series of blowout parties.

Adrienne Westenfeld Assistant Editor Adrienne Westenfeld is a writer and editor at Esquire, where she covers books and culture.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io