What does $6 get you? Lunch with the President of America…

What does six bucks get you these days? Dinner with the President of the United States of America. Barack Obama dined in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Monday with CNN personality Anthony Bourdain, whose “Parts Unknown” food travelogue is one of the network’s most popular nonfiction series. Bourdain met Obama to discuss the purpose of the president’s trip to Asia and his interest in the people, food and culture of Vietnam. A huge crowd gathered outside the restaurant Bun cha Huong Lien, then let out a cheer when the president came out. Obama shook a lot of hands and waved repeatedly before vanishing into the motorcade. Bourdain later tweeted that the meal cost $6, and he picked up the check.

Low plastic stool, cheap but delicious noodles, cold Hanoi beer.

Anthony Bourdain

On the menu was bun cha, a Vietnamese dish of grilled pork and rice noodles, some greens, all washed down with Hanoi beer. Bourdain’s show has been on CNN since 2013. For each episode the chef travels to a different part of the world to explore that area’s culture, primarily by sharing in the area’s distinct native cuisine. Obama and Bourdain met in a small complex in Hanoi’s Me Tri neighborhood in a heavy downpour.

Bourdain Obama