Obama and Bourdain’s dining table memorialized in Hanoi

Anthony Bourdain recently revealed via Instagram what the Vietnamese restaurant that he dined at with former U.S. President Barack Obama in 2016 did with their table. Bún Bún Chả Hương Liên turned the table, at which Bourdain and Obama enjoyed a grilled pork and rice noodle dish called bún ch?, into a memorial for the apparently historic TV moment.

The table is set with clean dishes arranged similarly to the way the former U.S. President and the celebrity chef had them, and even includes two bottles of the exact beer the duo drank during their meeting. However, guests can no longer sit at the table, as it is now encased in glass.

Bourdain shared the photo with Instagram, and included the caption “not sure how I feel about this.”

According to the Viet Nam News, the restaurant had to preserve the table because so many people came in wanting to see it. The owner, a woman named Liên, told the outlet that the “museum” was made to preserve the memorable image. “For us, he (the president) is a close and lovable person that we appreciate a lot,” she said.

Although there does not appear to be a placard explaining what went down at that table, Bún ch? H??ng Liên has definitely become known to people in and outside of Hanoi as “that place where Anthony Bourdain ate with Barack Obama in Vietnam.” Regardless of lack of signage, the glass casing signifies to all that the table once hosted an important pair of diners.

We’re just glad Tony was able to meet with Barack someplace relatively safe to visit! Bourdain is usually found traipsing these dangerous destinations.