Inside the Beltway

Double dipping

George W. Bush a double dipper?

Yes, like George Costanza before him, the commander in chief has been caught double dipping — as in taking one bite out of dip-laden finger food, whether it be a corn chip or carrot, only to then dip the remaining bite back into the communal dip bowl.

Inside the Beltway has sworn — Cub Scout honor (we never rose to the Boy Scouts) — not to disclose our source for this intriguing bite of presidential trivia. But the double dipping purportedly took place at a private reception hosted by Mr. Bush at the White House not terribly long ago.

Now, in fairness, perhaps the president paused after his initial dip for conversation — he is the center of attention, after all — and forgot that he had already been dipping.

Either way, for the benefit of Mr. Bush and surely plenty of other double dippers, let's turn to Jeremy Selwyn, "Chief Snacks Officer" for Taquitos.net, who writes in a posting on double dipping: If you're in a public place where dip is being shared, then "you must resist, even if means you must suffer."

"I can sympathize with the double dippers, to a degree. It's everybody's top priority to maximize the dip-to-chip ratio. When you're ready to take that second bite and the remainder of the chip is dry, it's very tempting to double dip," Mr. Selwyn states.

"Ideally, you should plan ahead to avoid this sort of dilemma. Make sure the first dip smothers the chip with enough for two bites. (Of course, this is not so easy. If you get too aggressive, the chip might break off into the dip, a snacking tragedy)."

The snack expert says double dipping gained "great fame" when JerrySeinfeld's sitcom pal, George Costanza, played by Jason Alexander, was spotted by "Timmy" double dipping at a wake. (Timmy was played by actor Kieran Mulroney, who grew up in Alexandria and attended T.C. Williams High School). Here's the Seinfeld transcript, as posted by Mr. Selwyn:

Timmy: What are you doing?

George: What?

Timmy: Did, did you just double dip that chip?

George: Excuse me?

Timmy: You double dipped a chip!

George: Double dipped? What, what, what are you talking about?

Timmy: You dipped a chip. You took a bite. And you dipped again.

George: So?

Timmy: That's like putting your whole mouth right in the dip. From now on, when you take a chip, just take one dip and end it.

George: Well, I'm sorry, Timmy, but I don't dip that way.

Exhibit to behold

Hats off to the Corcoran Gallery of Art, which is about to pull the curtains off of the largest and most comprehensive exhibition on Modernism ever staged in the United States.

The critically acclaimed "Modernism: Designing a New World 1914-1939" goes on display March 17 through July 29. It was originally organized by London's Victoria and Albert Museum, although the Washington exhibition will feature myriad American works not seen in London.

"This show demonstrates how Modernist art, design and architecture still affect nearly every aspect of our lives," announces the Corcoran's director and president, Paul Greenhalgh. "It takes a comprehensive look at Modernism, featuring everything from teacups to buildings with no gaps in between."

Featured Modernist figures will range from artist Pablo Picasso to architect Frank Lloyd Wright, while some of the more unusual highlights will include the first modern kitchen, one of the rarest Modernist cars — the streamlined dorsal-finned Czech Tatra T77, and fashions stretching from suits to everyday attire and sportswear from Italy, Germany, Russia, France and the United States.

"This is an incredibly interesting show, even for a museum-savvy audience like Washington," Catherine Armour, architect and exhibition designer, told Inside the Beltway yesterday. "The depth of material is rich and intense. For example, within about 10 feet of one another in one room is an important Mondrian painting, one of the most famous architectural models in the world, and one of the most recognized chairs in design history.

"And that's one gallery. We've filled nearly our entire building with important or groundbreaking objects from this period."

• John McCaslin, whose column is nationally syndicated, can be reached at 202/636-3284 or jmccaslin @washingtontimes.com.