Big Block of Cheese Day

From West Wing Wiki

"Big Block of Cheese Day" is a colloquial reference to a Bartlet White House tradition of granting access to interest groups which wouldn't ordinarily get the attention of White House staff. The staff mocks the tradition regularly, which does not amuse Leo:

Leo McGarry: I am making a mental list of those who are snickering, and even as I speak I'm preparing appropriate retribution.^[1]

The name derives from what is described in the show as a two-ton block of cheese that was placed in the foyer of the White House by President Andrew Jackson. According to the story, the cheese was eaten in a matter of hours. (White House historians estimate its weight at closer to 1400 pounds).

During the first one we see, in "The Crackpots and These Women", C.J. Cregg meets with environmentalists who are interested in obtaining funding for a highway strictly for wolves' use. Sam meets with a UFO conspiracy theorist.

The second on-camera occurence of this event is in the episode "Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail". Leo again tries to rally the troops, but they're still not impressed:

Leo McGarry: Andrew Jackson had a big block of cheese...

Josh Lyman: ...And a Wheat Thin the size of Lake Tahoe.

This time around, C.J. is assigned to meet with The Organization of Cartographers for Social Equality, who believe that world maps should be re-standardized to an inverted Peters Projection map. Toby is sent to represent the White House at a forum which objects to the World Trade Organization and free trade agreements.

While the episode pattern makes it appear to be an annual event, dialogue in "The Crackpots and These Women" suggests that it happens more than once per year.

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