The White House ‘Big Block of Cheese Day’ Is Back

In the true spirit of Andrew Jackson, and with help from various cast members of The West Wing, the White House has announced a second annual “Big Block of Cheese Day” on Jan. 21.

The event was inspired by an open house hosted by President Jackson in 1837, for the public to mingle with cabinet members and White House staffers, where guests were served slices from a 1,400-pound block of cheese.

The event was memorialized in NBC’s The West Wing, albeit tweaked so that the block of cheese was a constant presence in Jackson’s White House.

In Obama’s version, the block of cheese is virtual: Americans are invited to interact with staffers on Twitter, Facebook and other social media, where they can get answers to their questions in real time. The session will come one day after the President’s Jan. 20 State of the Union address.

Here’s hoping the event could lure West Wing writer Aaron Sorkin back to Twitter. After all, several cast members of the show helped promote the event in the above video.