Lunching with Hillary Clinton is no routine affair. When I arrive at Washington’s sleek Park Hyatt hotel, the somewhat jittery manager steers me to a discreet side door to await her arrival. After several minutes of awkward small talk, it turns out Clinton already came through the front entrance and has been seated for some minutes. They whisk me past her secret service detail to a semi-enclosed dining area of the Blue Duck Tavern, the hotel’s Michelin-starred, locally sourced restaurant. Clinton is chatting with Nick Merrill, her longtime aide, who stayed on with her after she stepped down as secretary of state in 2013.
与希拉里•克林顿(Hillary Clinton)共进午餐并非寻常之事。当我抵达华盛顿时髦的柏悦酒店(Park Hyatt)时，有些紧张的经理把我领到一个不起眼的侧门，等待她的到来。经过几分钟尴尬的闲聊，原来克林顿已经从前门进来了，并且已经坐了几分钟。他们带我匆匆经过她的特勤队，来到蓝鸭酒馆(Blue Duck Tavern)的一个半封闭的用餐区。蓝鸭酒馆是这家酒店的米其林星级餐厅，使用的食材均来自当地。克林顿正在和她的长期助手尼克·梅里尔(Nick Merrill)聊天。2013年她辞去国务卿职务后，梅里尔一直陪着她。