Gratuitous grub

Capital Journal | Eating well in Washington on $0 per day | Clint Rainey

IS ANYONE LISTENING? Karl Rove at the National Small Business Summit

Washington is more sedate in the post-Abramoff age, people say. Tighter control over freebies, whether golfing trips or even free food. So, an experiment: Could I eat well for a week by targeting receptions hosted by attention-hungry organizations? Could I scout out gratuitous grub merely by reading Washington newspapers, hearing about opportunities from other reporters, or simply Googling the words "reception" and "D.C."?

A week later and a couple of pounds heavier, I knew one of Washington's many secrets: getting three good squares a day rarely required anything of me. No commitment, no listening to a spiel—and I only used my press card once.

DAY ONE: Tuesday morning, Washington Convention Center, 8:15: TechNet International 2006's cream-cheese Danishes, donuts, fruit, teas, and coffee. I ate as Colin Powell chatted up the morning crowd. Not a great breakfast, but I came back for a fancy lunch in the banquet room. Good salad—spinach, mandarin oranges, chopped tomato, and sesame seeds spiced up by sweet vinaigrette—and a main course of seasoned chicken breast, an olive-artichoke-tomato topping, green beans, and steamed carrots.