On Friday, Michelle Obama will begin digging up a patch of White House lawn to plant a vegetable garden, the first since Eleanor Roosevelt’s victory garden in World War II. There will be no beets (the president doesn’t like them) but arugula will make the cut.

While the organic garden will provide food for the first family’s meals and formal dinners, its most important role, Mrs. Obama said, will be to educate children about healthful, locally grown fruit and vegetables at time when obesity has become a national concern.

In an interview in her office, Mrs. Obama said, “My hope is that through children, they will begin to educate their families and that will, in turn, begin to educate our communities.”...

“The power of Michelle Obama and the garden can create a very powerful message about eating healthy and more delicious food,” said Dan Barber, an owner of Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, N.Y., an organic restaurant that grows many of its own ingredients. “I don’t think it’s a stretch to say it could translate into real change.”

Kyu-Sung Choi, a Korean immigrant, thought it would be a good idea to open a 24-hour delicatessen at Park Avenue and 75th Street. Many residents disagreed.

''Do the residents of Park Avenue want to look out the window at vegetables?'' asked Shirley Bernstein, a leader of the opposition. ''They most certainly do not.''

Word of Mr. Choi's plans and the sight of remodeling crews were met with stop-work orders, a complaint filed by the local Community Board, inspectors looking for code violations, and elected officials speaking out against the deli.