TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An 80-year-old, two-story building in Paris has been turned into a kitchen to feed Taiwanese athletes at the Paris Olympics, providing comfort food such as beef noodles, dumplings, and spare rib soup.
Athletes requested Taiwanese food options before departing for Paris. Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said on Facebook that their request was granted, thanks to the establishment of a temporary kitchen minutes away from the athletes' village, per CNA.
Cho said the daily menu includes eat-in and delivery options, such as braised pork rice with mushrooms, vegetables, and tea eggs. The special meal plan will ensure Taiwanese athletes feel comfortable with their food intake before the competition.
The most important part is providing athletes with a nutritionally balanced meal. However, after the competition, athletes may enjoy special snacks not on the menu like fried chicken and squid balls, with the consent of coaches and nutritionists.
Cho expressed gratitude to the chefs, nutritionists, and logistics teams who accompanied the athletes. Typically, national teams deliver meals to athletes to ensure no disruption to their training. However, this year, the idea of setting up another eat-in option for hot, fresh food for athletes was well received.
Each day, 10 to 12 dishes will be provided by three Taiwanese chefs, which produce a minimum of 1,000 servings daily, per UDN. Chefs rise at 8 a.m. to prepare meals for the competitors, mostly delivery orders to be sent around noon.
However, some may prefer hot food, like Taiwan’s women’s archery team which dined in after their match. They enjoyed ginger pork, braised pork ribs in soy sauce, stir-fried cabbage, and tea eggs.
