Fab Pecan Pie, Sad Curry - Athletes Rate Best & Worst Dishes From Olympic Village’s Cafeteria
The Paris Olympic Games 2024 have been generating plenty of buzz, and not just for its athletes and celeb guests (we’re looking at you, Snoop Dogg). This year, there’s been much hype surrounding the food at the Olympic Village’s Cafeteria — you might’ve noticed a certain viral chocolate muffin making its rounds on social media.
But aside from a few tasty morsels, other athletes have called out the cafeteria’s food for its general lack of seasoning and blandness. Australian tennis player Daria Saville shares on TikTok: “The lines get pretty long, and often you would reach the end of the line only to find they had run out of what you wanted. Also, the food is always slightly cold”. Yikes.
And in case you’re wondering why there are no glowing comments about French food in the village in, well, France, it’s simply not great. At least according to superstar American gymnast Simone Biles. In a post-win interview, she says to a journalist: “In the village, it’s not proper French cuisine like you guys might be eating, ’cos you guys are outside the village. For the athletes it’s a little bit healthier”.
Her teammate Hezly Rivera adds: “I definitely think French food is good, but what we’re having in there, I don’t think is the best, but it gets the job done!”.
The Olympic Village’s grub is prepped by French caterer Sodexo Live, who are tasked to provide a whopping 40,000 meals to 15,000 athletes daily.
The cafeteria has been called the world’s largest restaurant, after all. There’s also a separate bakery within the village where athletes can grab carbs like croissants and learn how to bake baguettes.
So, what’s good and what’s not? Here’s a summary of the hits and misses from the Olympians themselves.
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Chocolate Muffin: 11/10
Probably the most hyped up snack from the Olympic Village so far, these devilled choc muffins were first brought to fame by Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen. He posted over 10 TikTok videos about the muffin in the past fortnight, even proclaiming himself the ‘Norwegian Muffin Man’.
The muffin features a gooey, semi-molten dark chocolate centre, topped with chunks of dark and milk chocolate. In his food ranking vid, Henrik gives the muffin an “insane 11 out of 10” rating. Other athletes have since chimed in with their own reviews on the viral bake - Singaporean swimmer Quah Jing Wen ranked it 9.5 out of 10, saying “the chocolate inside definitely makes it. I would pound this, I get it, I do”.
Pecan Pie: 10/10
Step aside chocolate muffin - according to Australian swimmer Jenna Forrester, the pecan pies at the cafeteria are even better. “I’m gonna go out on a limb here - we tried the chocolate muffin, and I’m gonna say this [pecan pie] here is actually better. This is a 10 out of 10, and the chocolate muffin is a nine, maybe,” she declares in her TikTok video. The Aussie initially called the pie a praline tart, but later clarified that she was referring to a pecan pie.
Pizza: 9/10
Although it looks like a rather plain margarita pizza, Dominican swimmer Jasmine Schofield says this is “probably some of the best food in the dining hall”. She rates the pizza a solid 9 out of 10.
Shrimp Dumplings: 8/10
Chicken Gyoza: 6/10
In the same video he showcases his fave choc muffin, Henrik also rates these shrimp dumplings an eight out of 10, saying they’re “soft and shrimpy and delicious”. The chicken gyozas on his plate, however, got a lacklustre six out of 10 rating, with the athlete lamenting that they were “better in Tokyo”.
Chicken and Beef Curry: 2/10
English diver Kyle Kothari posted a tongue-in-cheek round-up of his and his teammates’ first day meals at the village. Fellow English diver Scarlett Mew Jensen’s chicken and beef curry got the most miserable two out of 10 rating.
He jokes: “Scarlett is allergic to flavour and fun, so went for this option. Rice was simultaneously mushy and al dente”. Ouch.
Salmon Wellington: Meh
Singaporean swimmer Jing Wen gave her review of the canteen’s salmon wellington: “The flavour low-key caught me off guard, and I actually had to sit back and think about it. It did grow on me later though,” she says. We’re guessing she means this is meh?
Pesto Pasta: “Good”
For his post-match meal, US volleyball player Erik Shoji posted a review of his dinner, which featured a medley of pesto pasta, chicken and tofu. “I feel like pesto is always good, and the noodles really aren’t that overdone, so that’s good,” he begins.
Chicken: “Not terrible, not great”
Everything else on his plate, however, didn’t seem to impress the athlete. “[The broccoli] tastes like steamed broccoli. The chicken also tastes how you might expect it - not terrible, not great,” he says.
Erik struggling to slice his grilled tofu
Grilled Tofu: “Not great”
Aside from the passable chicken and broccoli, one item here barely made the cut: the grilled tofu. “And the last thing on my plate is this grilled tofu which I can barely cut through. Not great, but it’s okay,” he says.
Photos: TikTok/Henrik Christiansen, TikTok/Jenna Forrester, TikTok/Quah Jing Wen, TikTok/Lewis Clareburt, TikTok/Jasmine Schofield, TikTok/Erik Shoji, TikTok/Kyle Kothari
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