Opinion

Potica Or Pizza: Pope Francis' Attempt Of Making A Cultural Connection With Donald Trump? [VIDEO]

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United States President Donald Trump met with Pope Francis last Tuesday but what really caught the media's attention was the exchange between the Pope and the First Lady Melania Trump. A lot of people interpreted it as the Pope making fun of the U.S. President's weight but a spokesman for the Vatican dismissed it as His Holiness' attempt at making a cultural connection but perhaps with a double meaning.

The short banter between the Pope and the First Lady did not go unnoticed by the camera. The Vatican leader asked her if she was feeding the President potica to which she replied in the affirmative but said "pizza" rather than "potica."

Potica, pronounced as "pot-teet-sah," is a Slovenian traditional dish which has been part of the Slovenian diet for 200 years. It is made from very thin yeast dough and filled with honey, walnuts, eggs, butter, and sugar. Slovenian women take pride in making them for their family.

With that in mind, it could be that Pope Francis was indeed making a cultural connection with the First Lady whose birthplace was Slovenia. The Vatican spokesman also added that potica was one of the Pope's favorite dishes.

However, given the fact that potica and pizza sound similar, it still cannot be disqualified that the Pope has some double meaning to that attempt of 'cultural connection' which the First Lady understood and matched it with her own.

Whatever the real reason behind that exchange, the US President should begin to mind his weight. According to his campaign doctor last year, he weighed 236 pounds. If you calculate that with his height, which is 6'3", his body mass index or BMI is around 29.5. Male adults who have a body mass index between 25 to 29.9 are considered overweight while those who have 30+ BMI are considered obese. Given that calculation, President Trump just missed a few points to be considered obese.

Obesity is the cause of some major health problems and the President should be mindful of his health if he wants to perform his duties efficiently.

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