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One of the biggest challenges for Democratic presidential nominee\u00a0Kamala Harris<\/a>\u00a0in the final stretch of the campaign is introducing herself to voters before her Republican rival,\u00a0Donald Trump<\/a>, has a chance to define her.<\/p>\n Until her sudden election to the top of the Democratic ticket this summer, Harris was still a somewhat unknown figure in national politics, driven in part by her aversion to opening up and embracing the spotlight. And since she\u2019s become the nominee, Republicans have criticized Harris for not doing many interviews or giving enough specifics on her policy plans.<\/p>\n But the vice president is sharing personal details about her childhood, cooking and food to show her more private side.<\/p>\n It is known that Harris is a foodie and likes to cook. In fact, she had just made a pancakes-and-bacon breakfast for her niece\u2019s 6- and 8-year-old daughters on the July morning when Biden called with the news that he was dropping out of the race.<\/p>\n From talking about nacho cheese Doritos as her snack of choice to washing collard greens in the bathtub, Harris is aiming to connect with voters on a more personal level. While learning that she likes to munch tortilla chips at snack time likely isn\u2019t enough on its own to sway anyone to vote for her, the small \u2014 and sometimes amusing \u2014 details could help Harris show she can relate to people and their concerns.<\/p>\n \u201cShe is trying to show that she is a full person beyond just her policy proposals,\u201d Dana Brown, executive director of the Pennsylvania Center for Women and Politics at Chatham University, said in an email.<\/p>\n Stopping at Dottie\u2019s Market in Savannah during a campaign bus tour of southeastern Georgia last week, Harris became excited by what she saw on the counter.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is that cake?\u201d she said. Chocolate caramel, an employee answered.<\/p>\n \u201cI want a slice of that. Caramel is like my favorite,\u201d Harris said. \u201cOh, chocolate and caramel?\u201d she added, after appearing to digest the description. The cake was covered in a white frosting with caramel on top and drizzling down the sides.<\/p>\n \u201cFantastic,\u201d Harris said.<\/p>\n \u201cI was in band when I was your age,\u201d she said while visiting marching band practice at Liberty County High School in Hinesville, Georgia. She gave a pep talk about leadership.<\/p>\n \u201cAll that you all are doing, it requires a whole lot of rehearsal, a whole lot of practice, long hours. Right?\u201d she said. \u201cSometimes you hit the note; sometimes you don\u2019t. Right? But all that practice makes for beautiful music.\u201d<\/p>\n Harris did not say which instrument she played. An aide later told a reporter that Harris played French horn, xylophone and kettle drums; the vice president had confided that she \u201ccouldn\u2019t stick with one\u201d instrument.<\/p>\n Harris shared her collard greens recipe \u2014 and unusual preparation method \u2014 with Mashama Bailey, chef at The Grey restaurant in downtown Savannah. A friend used to ask Harris to make the greens for a yearly Christmas Eve party.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I am not lying to you that I would make so many greens that I\u2019d need to wash them in the bathtub,\u201d the vice president told Bailey. \u201cI\u2019m telling you the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n Harris starts by rendering the fat from bacon before stirring in sliced garlic, chili peppers, a lot of water and some chicken stock. \u201cAnd I let it go for a while, before I put the greens in,\u201d she said. After a couple of hours, she finishes with vinegar and Tabasco sauce.<\/p>\n According to McDonald\u2019s, 1 in 8 Americans have worked at its fast-food restaurants at some point in their lives. Harris is among them.<\/p>\n \u201cI had a summer job at McDonald\u2019s,\u201d she said at an August campaign rally in Las Vegas, trying to show an understanding of middle-class struggles.<\/p>\n During a policy speech in North Carolina to discuss her price gouging proposal, also last month, Harris said she was in college when \u201cI worked at McDonald\u2019s to earn spending money.\u201d<\/p>\n Her duties<\/a>\u00a0were making french fries and working the cash register, she said on \u201cThe Drew Barrymore Show\u201d earlier this year.<\/p>\n Harris and her sister, Maya, were raised by a single mother, Shyamala, an immigrant from India. Harris has said she was 13 when her mother bought her first home after saving for a decade.<\/p>\n At snack time, Harris reaches for Doritos.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is my go-to, the original, nacho cheese,\u201d Harris said while holding a red bag of Doritos when she and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and their spouses stopped at a Sheetz<\/a> convenience store in Moon Township during their campaign bus tour of southwestern Pennsylvania in August.<\/p>\n Her soda of choice?<\/p>\n \u201cI like root beer. He likes Diet Coke,\u201d she said, referring to her husband, Doug Emhoff.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nCaramel is a favorite<\/h4>\n
Beautiful music<\/h4>\n
Collard greens in the tub<\/h4>\n
Golden Arches<\/h4>\n
Doritos as a go-to snack<\/h4>\n
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