White House to bring back ‘Big Block of Cheese Day’

The administration will host an online town hall next week that keeps a historical tradition highlighted by the “West Wing” television show.

In the show, White House staffers were required on one day a year to meet with citizens and interest groups who normally might not earn attention from top administration officials. The fictional tradition was a nod to President Andrew Jackson, who in 1837 hosted an open house with a 1,400 pound block of cheese in the White House’s foyer.

The Obama White House has launched its own variation of the event, with senior administration officials fielding questions from ordinary Americans who use the hashtag #AskTheWH on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr.

In a preview video taped with former cast members of the television show — including Martin Sheen, Josh Molina and Allison Janney — press secretary Josh Earnest joked it would be like Reddit “without the weird stuff.”

“We’ll have senior White House officials online answering questions from anybody who wants to ask,” Earnest said.

Last year, social media users asked oddball questions like whether then-press secretary Jay Carney would bring back his beard, which was in keeping with the spirit of the show.

One episode saw the fictional White House press secretary meeting with environmentalists advocating the construction of a highway for wolves, while the deputy communications director heard from alien conspiracy theorists. 

In another season, staffers heard from cartographers who felt that maps of the world should be flipped upside down.