Michelle Obama - "Waffles + Mochi" and Pass the Love
The Daily Show With Trevor Noah: Ears Edition- 1,201 views
- 3 Apr 2021
Former first lady Michelle Obama talks about inspiring kids to embrace healthy eating via her Netflix show, "Waffles + Mochi," and combating food insecurity with her Pass the Love campaign.
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Michelle Obama, welcome to The Daily Social Distancing Show. It's my first time being on your show. It's just, you know, I'm sad that it's not in face to face or in person, but I'm glad I am.
I'm sad. I'm sad, too. But I don't like you still here. I have gotten used to this being here for me. So, you know, it's still you know, I'm going to tell me, like your personality changes when you're in person.
It does not. I'm maybe I'm more silly in person, but I've gotten silly on, you know, in June, too. I can do it both now. Just plain silly.
Before we get into talking about your projects, let's talk a little a little bit about that. I would love to know on a personal level what your life has felt like since you left the White House, because I remember and I mean, I was one of the fans, maybe because I also had had journeys. I remember everyone just being like, wow, Michelle, the afro in the has come and everyone is just like she's just she's got a different swag about her.
Wasn't there a weight that's lifted from your shoulders when leaving the White House as first lady? Absolutely.
I mean, for for so many reasons. I mean, you know, being the first lady and the press, it's a it's a huge responsibility. And being the first, you know, we felt a deep responsibility to do it right and to do it better, to be careful with our words, all the things we thought were important things like.
Thinking about what you say before you say it, you know, telling the truth, you know, getting your facts right, all of this, we were worried for no reason we could have done it so differently.
It could have been easier. But no, no, we were doing the traditional thing. And so, you know, it was a big responsibility, a big weight on our shoulders, but it was an honor to serve. And we kept our eye focused on just every day trying to show up. Right. And push the ball forward on the issues that we cared about.
But we were also doing it while raising our kids. All right. So right. You know, they were 10 and seven when we entered. They lived in the White House longer than they lived in any house they've ever lived in.
So they they were growing up right in that spotlight. And so we had that pressure of getting through the adolescent years, in the teen years and sending it to college.
So we were exhausted and stressed because not only are you trying to get it right on the big picture level, but you're trying to get it right as a parent. And now we're on the other end of that on literally on the other end of all of that.
And our kids are about to be twenty three and twenty. Our oldest is graduating from college. They are alive.
So all of that, you know, being at the end of that part of the journey, you know, it you know, I am in a different place.
I feel freer. I feel more at peace. I'm also older. So I'm more comfortable. I'm even more comfortable in my own skin.
I can imagine so. So, yeah, yeah.
It was, you know, I mean, living in the White House is like living in an nice older hotel where you can't get out unless you call 20 people.
It almost feels like you were living a sort of quarantined life before.
All of this is what I tell people. This is why we're fine. Barack and I are like, what? You can't go out just when you want to. Yeah, you're like this. We've been doing that for eight years. You've got security with you at all times. You can't make a move. And you have to think about how your movements impact the rest of the world. Every time we went out, we had to think about it.
It's like who's going to have to shut down what gate? How is this going to disrupt this whole community? Because the presidential motorcade is coming through, we have to worry about agents and not doing something that will put them in harm's way.
We're good in quarantine. We're like, welcome to our world.
Everyone has been somebody who has been not just an icon, but but somebody that people have followed so passionately from the beginning. And and what I loved about reading your book and and talking to your husband is that, you know, is getting into the familial side of things, the personal side of things. I've always wanted to know from your perspective, because a lot of people may not think of it like this because of president, but you're the cool one in the relationship.
Right.
And so like but Barack was like this, like, you know, it's like like you say in your book, who's this? Who's this like, you know what I mean. And yes, he's Mr. President, don't get me wrong. But I mean, to us, Barack, is there a part of you that like when it was done, you were like, all right, finally the power balance can go back to what it was?
Well, he's still pretty cool, you know. Oh, definitely.
But I mean, you know, I mean, it's like a game of chess. You want to lose the queen, you know that.
I'm going to use that at dinner tonight. Right.
But what's fun to see is how it feels like you are each other's biggest fans, the way you show your love towards each other. You've never been afraid to do that. But at the same time, there's also a healthy, competitive spirit. I mean, whether you're selling books, whether you're releasing your your work on Netflix and creating documentaries, is there a little bit of that when you look at your numbers and then you go, I mean, you know, you go like Barry, you doing well, but, you know you know, is there a little bit of that?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Barack is super competitive, so, you know, and shoot, let me I am too. So, yeah, there's a little there's a little bit of that. I mean but you know, you can do that when you know your partner holds their own. It's it's a nice, funny joke, you know. I mean if he if he wrote his book and nobody bought it, we wouldn't be joking about it. Right. We would be like, honey, you're doing a great job.
Oh, he has a great book. Great book. We love it.
And tell your dad how much you like his book. You know, I mean, he's written like a thousand book.
You know, he's like, yeah, I've done this before.
You're the new you know, he was he fed us on his book books for a very long time. So, you know, it's a funny joke when it's, you know. Well, is not true when it's when it's not fully true, the kids are actually joking, they're talking about how, you know, Mom's doing a lot of work out there. Dad, you're at home looking kind of cute.
You know, they're like you're now the one that is hilarious. You are the cute one.
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That's Rocket mortgage, dot com slash. The Daily Show called Cost Information and Conditions Equal Housing Lender License in all 50 states in MLS. Consumer Access Dog Number Thirty. Let's talk a little bit about your new project on Netflix, it is it's a passion of yours that we've known from the very beginning, and that is eating healthy. You know, America has internationally established a reputation as being the country where people have some of the most unhealthy choices in how they eat.
I remember when I came to America, I didn't understand it genuinely came to America. I ate the way I ate in South Africa, did not really care. And then I got here and I remember the first time I was traveling around the US and nobody knew me. I was doing my thing was around twenty ten and I gained I think it was 18 to 20 pounds in six months and I didn't realize this was happening to me. And then I went back to South Africa and in Africa because there's no like body shaming in that way.
Everyone was just like, wow, did you eat half of America? What happened to you? Wow. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
You know, and it was it was actually interesting because I didn't think I changed anything. I didn't. But then I came to realize how hard it is for so many Americans to eat healthy, to exist, healthy, to be healthy. And that's always been your passion, which is part of the show that you have on Netflix Waffles and watching the most adorable exploration of eating healthy. Please just talk me through why you thought, you know what? This is the avenue that I'm going to take to further this message for what I'm passionate about.
The co creators, Erica Thorn, Ellen and Jeremy Connor, you came up with this idea because, you know, Jeremy had young kids and struggled with this as a parent, getting their kids excited about vegetables. So they came up with the idea and presented it to us and kind of proposed, would you be in it? And I looked at the concept and thought this this is a no brainer. I mean, this is what we had been talking about for eight years through Let's Move is that you can have these conversations not making them punitive or not shaming people, but just beginning to introduce positive concepts about what food is, making it fun, making it enjoyable.
Now, the part that I'm excited about is the work that we're doing through the past the love campaign, where we're hoping to do more education around food insecurity and rising food deserts and reminding people that there are millions of people in this country that are going hungry even as they sit in communities with food all around them.
Right.
But it's it's it's the type of food so many families don't have access to fresh produce. If they want to buy a bundle of kale, they've got to get on a bus or it costs way too much money they don't have the ability to do at home cooking.
The Pasta Love campaign is designed to raise money to help feed a million families in this country.
What I love about waffles and mulches, I mean, we all grew up watching puppets and cartoons, and it's really fun to see these discussions. Like my favorite episode is just the arguments about whether a tomato is a fruit or vegetable. I've had this fight with people my entire life, tomatoes, avocados, whatever it is, I go, Hey man, I have a simple metric. Is it sweet? Then it's a fruit and then people want to fight with me.
And I think it's fun. It's fun to engage with that. I can imagine enjoying that with kids and having these conversations because I grew up I grew up loving vegetables and the reason I grew up loving vegetables is because we didn't always have a lot of food. And I realized very, very young that if I could learn to love the things that nobody else wanted, then I would always have have for all the other kids they were running for, like the meat and the fish.
And I was like, I'll take the broccoli, the cauliflower. And I just learned to love it. But it's cool to see from that side for the kids.
Yeah, I knew you were on the other side with pasta love.
What I've really enjoyed is you you having the conversation about the truth, about how difficult it is. You know, a lot of the time in America, people blame the victim. Yes. They go, you should be eating healthy. You should be making better choices. You should.
And then I remember when I when I first got to America, I was like, wow, how much is an avocado that's raised like this or how much is this? Because in South Africa, the treat is the McDonald's. Your family can't just buy you that every day. Right? In America, it's like, no, the fast food is affordable and that's no.
Yeah, that's how it was for us growing up. So this is also generational. I mean, the whole notion of going out wasn't something that you did. People couldn't afford it and it wasn't available like that. So going to a fast food place was a treat. But for the most part, being able to afford to live meant you had to cook. That was the cheapest way to. Yes, you bought a whole chicken. You knew how to cut it up.
You knew how to dice up some some some vegetables. You you knew how to cook a pot of greens. I mean, that's how we all grew up. And it's with this change in sort of mass-producing. The quick, easy and understandably, parents struggle with that because everybody's busy now and we're overworked, so it's easy to pick up, grab something, pop something to do something processed. And we don't realize that these processed foods are high in sugar and salt in ways that that's the kind of thing that affects you.
It's it's the content of the food.
People think, well, a French fry is a potato and it's like, well, you know, if that's all you're eating and it's fried and it's processed, you're getting extra stuff in there.
So, you know, the key, like you said, is not to shame people, not to blame folks. And that's where it gets personal because people do feel judged and criticized for doing the best that they can. So that's why we start with kids. It's like, let's make these conversations fun again.
Not not a lot of stick, but a whole lot of carrot, which is what we try to do with let's move. Let's not talk about not eliminating soda and soda is bad.
Let's talk about drinking more water. Right. Because if you drink more water by that very nature, you will drink less soda.
That doesn't make soda bad. We're just talking about drink a little more water. So, you know, we've had to learn how to balance that because even in the White House, we got criticized for having those conversations.
I mean, getting kids to eat healthy was a controversial. And people were like, how dare she? It's nanny state.
And I'm like, I. I thought we were like some like even, you know, sort of like what? What.
So, you know, you had to sort of be really strategic and how you talked about this so that people wouldn't feel like you were judging the very core of who they are. And that's the thing.
Food is personal, you know, and waffles and most moseyed address the notion that, you know, cultures are built on the food that they eat. You know, it's love, it's family. However you do it. It is. It's at the core of who we are. So you've got to be careful not to judge the way people do it. Just offer them different approaches, you know, open their minds and starting with kids who will bring their own curiosity.
I saw this dish cooked on the show. Can we try it? And you notice the cooking is done a lot on hot plates, in toaster ovens. You know, a lot of vegetables. It's accessible and that's for a reason. And the recipes are on the website along with the pasta, the love campaign, waffles and Mosig. So we're encouraging people to interact with the show through the website. And kids can earn their badges like Waffles and Motoki.
So, you know, again, our our goal is to make it fun.
Well, I think you're well on the way to achieving that goal, and I really hope that Postern love goes from a million to 10 million to one hundred million until there's no need to pass any more love. Michelle Obama, thank you so much for taking the time. Thank you for joining us. Say hi to the husband and good luck on the rest of your journey.
So good to see you. Congratulations on all your good stuff. Very proud of you.
Thank you very much. I appreciate that. The Daily Show with Criminal Lawyers Edition wants The Daily Show weeknights at 11:00, 10:00 Central on Comedy Central and the Comedy Central Watch full episodes and videos at The Daily Show Dotcom. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to The Daily Show on YouTube for exclusive content and more. So let's say you're into yoga or Pilates or maybe you dabble in gymnastics like me, either way, you know, being flexible is key to doing what you love.
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