Huffington Magazine Issue 12-13 | Page 81

HUFFINGTON 09.09.12 JEREMY LANGE FOOD FIGHT! pies—apple, chocolate chess and pecan—and waved to the crowd in front of the picturesque main street cafe. Kimberly Mills, co-owner and manager of the restaurant,  said she and some of the 2,000 others in attendance were disappointed at how short the visit was—eight minutes in total. “I would have liked to talk to him,” she said. Still, she said she was thrilled for Ashland and sold 15 more pies in the afternoon after Romney left. John Friedman, 48, a teacher who attended the Romney event, offered another reason the candidate was better off with takeout pie than quiche, his own personal Homemades by Suzanne favorite. “I like quiche but it’s not a ‘real man’ food,” he said. “They’re already calling him a wimp on the cover of Newsweek.” Friedman referenced that magazine’s recent story titled “Romney: The Wimp Factor.” THE FAST FOOD FACTOR One thing Romney has not been afraid to eat in public is fast food, if his campaign’s Twitter accounts are any indication. In July of 2011, Romney’s own account broadcast a photo of him eating a jalapeño chicken sandwich at Carl’s Jr., the A spread at Homemades by Suzanne, located in Ashland, Virginia, one of the swing states courted by both presidential candidates.