Hillary Chats Chips, Food Temperatures & Negotiating Takeout With Bill On 'Hamish & Andy' (VIDEO)

*Scroll down for video of Hillary's conversation with Hamish & Andy*

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Gates are down under this week for talks with their Australian counterparts, and (via Politico) Hillary dropped in for a wide-ranging chat with Australian radio personalities Hamish & Andy. The radio duo and the secretary of state covered an array of key food-related issues, including chips/crisps, how Hillary and Bill negotiate takeout ordering, and the world's previously unknown food temperature crisis.

Secretary of State Clinton accepts a gift of crisps from Hamish & Andy:

QUESTION: Madam Secretary, thank you so much for joining us.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you for having me.

QUESTION: It's very exciting. And we start with a gift.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Oh, excellent.

QUESTION: On behalf of the people's show, its potato chips -- or crisps, I think --

QUESTION: It's a flavor that the people of Australia invented. It's the gravy chip.

SECRETARY CLINTON: I am thrilled.

QUESTION: As you should be, Madam Secretary.

SECRETARY CLINTON: I cannot tell you how much this means to me.

QUESTION: That's great.

QUESTION: Are you a collector of chips? Is this your first --

SECRETARY CLINTON: I am an eater of chips.

QUESTION: We recommend not. Use by -- well, it was use by two years ago. So --

SECRETARY CLINTON: And you resealed the package?

QUESTION: No, no. This has never been opened.

QUESTION: They're the last remaining sealed ones. If you try to eat them, technically that's an assassination attempt by us.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Shall I wait until I am out of Australian air space?

QUESTION: Yes. (Laughter.) With a lot of foreign travel in your job --

SECRETARY CLINTON: Yes.

QUESTION: -- you must get very good at accepting gifts.

SECRETARY CLINTON: I do, yes.

QUESTION: And making believe that you love them, just like them.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Yes. There is a whole course on how to do that.

QUESTION: Okay. Is there really?

SECRETARY CLINTON: I mean, usually it is a very happy expression on one's face. Now, sometimes the gifts are really hard to do that with.

QUESTION: Yes.

SECRETARY CLINTON: But you still -- you just have to persevere. And you can't look like you are not grateful.

QUESTION: Have you ever left one behind? Because --

SECRETARY CLINTON: No, no. We take them all.

QUESTION: All right, good.

SECRETARY CLINTON: We take them all. They go back, they're processed, we do thank you notes. You will get a thank you note.

QUESTION: It's not necessary. (Laughter.) Consider us (inaudible).

SECRETARY CLINTON: I have people on my delegation who will actually eat this.

QUESTION: Oh.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Oh, yes. Because they'll eat anything.

Hillary on negotiating takeout with Bill:

QUESTION: It all requires excellent patience, great negotiation skills. Your husband also possesses those qualities. When you two can't agree on what to get for takeaway dinner, who wins out in that type of negotiation?

SECRETARY CLINTON: We practice different models of negotiation around important issues like that.

QUESTION: Yeah.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Because if I were to say to him, as I have on many occasions, "What shall we have for dinner tonight?" If he says to me, "Oh, I don't care; you choose," I know that's a really bad answer, because then I'm stuck with the responsibility.

QUESTION: Yeah.

SECRETARY CLINTON: So I will come back and I'll say, "All right. Well, so how do you feel about Chinese -- "

QUESTION: Oh, good.

SECRETARY CLINTON: " -- or Mexican or Italian?" And if he says a second time, "I really, really don't care," then I will go choose. Now, contrarily, if he says to me, "What do you want for dinner tonight," I will say, "What do you want?" Then he'll go, "Well, I was thinking of maybe picking up some Thai." And if I'm in a good humor, I'll say, "That's fine." But if I am feeling not enthusiastic about Thai, I'll say, "Well, maybe we should consider something else." And he'll say, "Well, then you choose." (Laughter.)

QUESTION: Do you ever eat before midnight? (Laughter.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: We are very late eaters. Yes, we do. I mean, this could go on -- this goes on for some time.

QUESTION: You want to make sure people don't know that he had half of the conversation, because you've got former President talking to the current Secretary of State, how do you feel about Chinese -- (laughter) -- I don't know. I don't really like Chinese. That could be catastrophic.

SECRETARY CLINTON: That's why we have our rooms swept every day. (Laughter.)

Secretary Clinton responds to Hamish & Andy's food temperature campaign:

QUESTION: Hamish and I have our own organization and it's called checkyourtemps.org. It encourages young people to check the temperature of their food before they bite into it, because if they don't, they'll sear off their mouth. That could ruin not just that meal, but plenty of meals to come.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Right.

QUESTION: And we save declining moral across the globe.

QUESTION: How important is that issue on a world scale do you think?

SECRETARY CLINTON: It has not previously been brought to my attention.

QUESTION: So you're breaking new ground in this way.

SECRETARY CLINTON: I am -- well, you're breaking new ground.

QUESTION: Well, we're happy to have you on for the --

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I have to tell you both, this is a --

QUESTION: Take this to the top.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Because if you just think about it, people go around with the tops of their mouths burnt. They can't communicate well.

QUESTION: You see a decline in peace.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Decline in peace. They might stop eating. That adds to the increase in hunger --

QUESTION: We've already got enough hunger already.

SECRETARY CLINTON: -- malnutrition in the world.

QUESTION: And it's so ironic, because food is what stopped them eating.

SECRETARY CLINTON: That's right.

QUESTION: So it's hurt by their -- your greatest friend.

SECRETARY CLINTON: So -- I know, and so check the temperature. It has a certain ring to it.

QUESTION: That's what we're saying.

SECRETARY CLINTON: And now I think you'll have to figure out how you get the thermometers to developing countries.

QUESTION: True.

SECRETARY CLINTON: This is going to be something you're going to have work out.

QUESTION: We'll need cheaper thermometers.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Maybe you could get a partnership with like the biggest thermometer maker in Australia.

QUESTION: Thermos.

SECRETARY CLINTON: And they might donate. What do you think?

QUESTION: Yeah, that's great.

QUESTION: I think that's a great solution. See, a lot of that -- we're very ideological, but I like you because you're a nuts-and-bolts type -- (laughter) -- just get things done.

SECRETARY CLINTON: That's -- well, I'm very practical.

Complete transcript available here at state.gov.

WATCH:

Comments

[SweetJudith]

11:05 AM on 11/11/2010

She should have been our President......

[thrugreeneyez]

12:10 PM on 11/11/2010

I heard Bill went vegetarian, is that true? Anyone know?

[SweetJudith]

12:25 PM on 11/11/2010

Yes, he did, at least that's what he said which is wonderful! He said he still eats a little bit of fish on occasion...He looks great!

[beawild]

10:13 PM on 11/12/2010

I totally agree. She would have been an awesome president. It should have Hillary first and then Obama.

[Black Oblivion]

06:43 PM on 11/10/2010

She is hilarious and now I want to listen to their radio show.

[tenderlung]

07:24 PM on 11/10/2010

There's a free podcast version minus music and ads on iTunes. This is the last year of the show, though :(

[tenderlung]

06:41 PM on 11/10/2010

Hamish and Andy would be really delighted that HuffPo has a 'check your temps' tag now.

[bisbeeornotbisbee]

03:12 PM on 11/10/2010

I don't like Hill politically, but she's exceptionally good-natured with a wonderful sense of humor.  I thinks she's very funny.  Right on, Hill!  A great wit.

[redbud9]

01:03 PM on 11/10/2010

Call me old-fashioned, but is this really how we want our Secretary of State to be spending her time? I think this interview was beneath her. If I were her I'd be chewing out whoever set up this interview.

[bisbeeornotbisbee]

03:14 PM on 11/10/2010

All work and no play makes Jill a dull girl.  I see nothing wrong with it.  Nixon was on Laugh-In, Bill was on Arsenio Hall, Bush was, I think, on SNL.  It may not be traditional in other countries, but it has been here for a long time.  Worry about the big stuff, like threats to Soc.Sec., the wars, etc., ok?

[tenderlung]

06:26 PM on 11/10/2010

Maybe, but being on Hamish and Andy is pretty much the best PR move you can make in Australia. A huge part of her job is managing the US' international image, and even though it might seem dumb Hamish and Andy are probably the most universally beloved entertainers in Australia. This interview grants instant good will from a large portion of the population.

[Welease Wodewick]

09:49 AM on 11/10/2010

When your chips are down, there's no better woman to have on your side.

Clinton 2016!

[DCmykl]

04:23 PM on 11/10/2010

2012.

[SweetJudith]

11:29 AM on 11/11/2010

She should have been our President!!!

[BlacknProud310]

08:11 AM on 11/14/2010

So agree

[MNmommy]

09:45 AM on 11/10/2010

Love her.

That is all.

[hackerblaster]

07:56 AM on 11/10/2010

I adore that woman!

[DCmykl]

02:41 AM on 11/10/2010

I will tell you the sort of people Hillary and Bill CLinton are.

My favorite restaurant and late night place to hangout and chat with friends in Dupont Circle it turns out is Bill Clinton's favorite restaurant also. A couple years ago I happened to be there in the bar one night when in walked Bill, Hillary, Chelsea, her then boyfriend and another couple accompanied by a few security people. The party was wisked upstairs to the diningroom while other Secret Service agents took up station unobtrusively outside the restaurant. Of course the Clintons arrival caused a stir and it was soon learned that they were there to celebrate the former president's birthday. He liked to dine there on his birthday. About an hour later the group decended the stairs and the bar spontaneously erupted in a chorous of "Happy Birthday Mr. President." Rather than just waving and walking out the door. The Clintons came into the bar and stayed drinking and chatting with everyone for at least another 30 minutes before departing.

[redbud9]

01:03 PM on 11/10/2010

Sorry...but that would ruin my meal.

[DCmykl]

02:34 PM on 11/10/2010

I sincerely doubt you'll ever even pass through the establishment's door, let alone dine there. If you did though, you'd find knowledgeable, engaged people with opinions on all sides of almost every imaginable issue, many of whom can actually affect the outcome of events, discussing them at times very heatedly while still managing to enjoy each other's company.

[Sam Smith]

04:15 PM on 11/10/2010

That's Bill's style, He's an Arky...;-

[lar62]

01:34 AM on 11/10/2010

She certainly had fun engaging in that conversation! Good humor on all their parts.

[lar62]

01:32 AM on 11/10/2010

She certainly engaging in that conversation! Good humor on all their parts.

[Nauman Masood]

01:13 AM on 11/10/2010

Funny Indeed

[candersonh]

12:36 AM on 11/10/2010

I think she is rather witty!

[MochasMom]

12:35 AM on 11/10/2010

Funny!

[foxisms]

12:31 AM on 11/10/2010

This is hardly relevant in a country where so many go to bed hungry and 59 million don't have health care, don'tcha think?

[dewbatty]

05:28 AM on 11/10/2010

No, I don't think as you do. When humor has no value we are doomed. Besides, it is wonderful to see how she interacts in a light-hearted atmosphere. Don't you think you have learned something about her that you didn't know before?

[foxisms]

06:51 AM on 11/10/2010

I couldn't live without humor.
But out of multi-verses of things that I imagine I might possibly live long enough to learn, (especially in a world that is rapidly tilting off course) her and Bill's snacking habits are of little consequence or priority for me.