American History

Now that we’ve properly saluted the roster of current presidential wannabes — who today battled for Wisconsin, America’s cheesiest state — we jump back to the 1850s. Here, we’ll raise a glass to America’s probably drunkest, but definitely hottest, president: Franklin Pierce.

This week’s Commander-in-Cheese highlights “Old Rough and Ready” himself, Zachary Taylor, army veteran, and the second president to die in office (though to his credit, he made it 16 times longer than Harrison did), possibly also from Washington’s open sewers.

Today Commander-in-Cheese explores the aggressively expansionist “Manifest Destiny” policies of James K. Polk, who stretched America’s reach to the Pacific Ocean. We’ll simultaneously embrace our less-problematic ManiFEAST Destiny: to grilled cheese!

For this week’s grilled cheese commemorating #8, you will need the cheapest bread you can find (in this case, 50 cents) alluding to Van Buren’s first major challenge as president, the economic crisis known as the Panic of 1837.

Salutations, patriots! Today in grilled cheese: Our nation’s seventh president, duelin’ Andrew Jackson.