It may not be Thursday just yet, but it's time for a throwback.

It's strange to think of President Obama before he took office. The man obviously had a life before he took the oath, but most people had no idea who Barack Obama was before he entered the Presidential race. Of course, Obama was still involved in politics, it just wasn't on the same level as his current position.

The President's schedule cannot be easy: there's at least a million different crises that need to be managed at any one time, so it'd be impossible for him to handle the micro-political appearances anymore - there's just too much other work to focus on. Back when he was a State Senator, however, things were different. Years ago, Senator Barack Obama appeared on a food show called Check, Please!, and while people are used to hearing Obama talk politics, they're probably not used to him talking southern cuisine.

Obama originally appeared on Check, Please! to promote a local southern restaurant, the Dixie Kitchen and Bait Shop. It was a quiet little restaurant, and it seems nice enough, but the real reason to watch the video is to see Obama before he looked so...weary. It seems that talking about food with some friends isn't quite as stressful as dealing with a Congress that's designed to block progress on all fronts.

The video itself isn't new: the clip made its way onto YouTube back in 2009. The original episode is even older - Obama appeared on Check, Please! back in 2001, way before he began his campaign as President. For whatever reason, the clip has made a major comeback on sites like Reddit within the last few days, but it's totally worth it to see Obama circa 2001.

He just looks so young...

Photo: Steve Jurvetson