~ Happy Hour Specials ~ ft. The Olympics
Do you know the (Norwegian) muffin man? McDonald's France experimenting with the menu, but not that much. An Italian gymnast who takes home the gold (in cheese form)!? It's the 2024 Olympics y'all!
Dear Readers & Cake Eaters,
A decent chunk of y’all are new here - WELCOME!!! More on that in the next issue coming shortly but lemme just start by saying I am SO glad you’re here!
Now, introducing ~ Happy Hour Specials ~ for the moments where I have a decent amount to say about relevant content, but don’t care to dedicate an entire newsletter theme to it. For our very first one, I bring you the 2024 Olympics. . . because I can’t not talk about the Olympics what with there being so much good food related content, but also, who are we kidding, the only sport I’m interested in is eating.
For those that are new here, don’t get used to how short this thing is (yes, this is short compared to my normal standards lolz). We usually like to get comfortable at this dining table and have a proper feast (on info & visuals) in good old long-form style. BUT FYI, I also have an *AUDIO VERSION* of this newsletter that I now include at the end of every intro just before we dive into the menu. I think a lot of you still don’t know about it lolz so here it is for this issue:
Now let’s dig in!
xx
Happy Hour Menu
Tuesday, August 6th, 2024
If you haven’t seen the Paris 2024 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony by now, I’m sure you’ve seen at least some of the memes and images associated with it. My favorite being this one. I personally find that there were more tacky moments than epic ones but it sure as hell got people talking and certainly surprised us all whether for better or for worse. Not getting scouted for the role as “croissant lady” (above) for the opening ceremony will forever be a kick to my ego but I guess life goes on. At least Halloween is around the corner.
Also during the opening ceremony, French entertainer, Philippe Katerine took on the role of Dionysus - the Greek god of wine and while the intention was to spread the message of peace. . . the performance managed to offend the Catholic church, several Christian groups, and surely so many others lolz. Meanwhile in China, the performance has inspired a dish of some sort. One man’s trash is another man’s. . . meal inspo I suppose.
McDonald’s France has also entered the Olympics chat. In the spirit of hosting the 2024 Olympic Games, McDonald’s France has introduced a limited edition menu with products from McDonald’s around the world. I love that the “Szechuan Sauce” was the item chosen from the US McDonald’s menu. . . I didn’t even know we had that? Lolz. This menu was released on July 23rd and will be available through September 2nd. Personally, I don’t find much about this menu to be that exciting (not surprising since the French palate [while sophisticated and gastronomically inclined] is generally not very adventurous or spice tolerant) although I’m very much in support of the “Coca-Cola McFloat”. Dying to see the look on French people’s faces though. Actually, you can do just that by checking out French Huff Post (aka le HuffPost, lollz I’m not kidding)’s team’s reaction video to the entire menu here. No worries if you’re not fluent in French, their facial expressions say enough. Regarding the McFloat, one of them asked her colleagues if “one eats it, drinks it, licks it. . .or what?” Loll. Most of the team were not a fan of it although one of them said that it’s “not uninteresting”. How French.
Now in case you live under a rock, (or a gigantic cheese wheel, in which case you’re forgiven) you’ve probably already seen the cheesy viral news regarding what I consider to be the most legit endorsement deal there ever was - Italian Gymnast and Silver Medalist Giorgia Villa has a partnership with Parmigiano Reggiano (since 2021) and . . .the crowd goes wild! The internet is amuck with puns and commentary but can you blame them?
"This may be the most relatable athlete lol," one user wrote online.
Who even cares about taking home the gold if you’re already taking home something else that’s large, round, heavy, and kinda gold aka wheelz of PARMIGIANO. As if I needed an excuse before, this just reinforces my love of Italy & Italians. This by far exceeds expectations of just how good a brand endorsement can get. When I posted about this on Substack’s Notes feature a few days ago, there was a mini trend going on (which I really enjoyed) of people reposting the note with what food item THEY would choose to sign an endorsement deal with. I think for me personally it would have to be butter or Campari. Let’s keep this trend going and let me know what your food endorsement deal of choice would be in the comments below!
There’s been a whole lot of talk concerning the food being served to the Olympians. It’s all eyes on Paris naturally what with it being the capital of gastronomy amongst many other things.
The NYT reported that “A boulangerie set up at the mouth of the village will churn out more than 2,000 baguettes, croissants, pain au chocolat and focaccia daily, and even offer baking classes for athletes seeking respite from the grueling competition.” Interesting, seeing as in one of Simone Biles’ food reviews, she seems to be eating a pre-packaged pain au chocolat . . .veryyy interesting indeed. . .
And leading up to the games, there was no mistaking how proud the Olympic Committee was, practically bragging about how “60% of the food served to the public…[is] meat-free and 80% sourced locally, the Paris Olympic Games are setting a new standard for environmental sustainability.” That’s all good and dandy for the press but since the games have started, it’s been food fiasco after food fiasco. Between headlines like “Olympians Are Calling the Food in Paris a 'Disaster' — and One Team Is Flying in Its Own Chef” to “Not an oeuf: Athletes report eggs shortage in Olympic village” it would seem that the hyped up and highly anticipated Olympic cuisine in a city that’s so often highlighted for it’s culinary accomplishments, has fallen quite short of expectations.
“Shawn Hueglin, a senior sports dietitian for the United States Olympic Committee, said the Americans mailed protein shakes, pretzels, popcorn, jerky, energy bars and, of course, peanut butter for their athletes.” - NYT. As American as this is, it’s reported that many other countries also shipped their own foods as to not change up athletes’ diets too much in the case that what they needed wasn’t available.
We are living in an age where we like to document and share just about everything (Olympians included) and so you can bet that when things go awry, we’re going to know about it. Although one seemingly good thing to have come out of the Olympic village cafeterias happens to be none other than some “choccy muffs”. And on that note. . .
Do you know the (Norwegian Olympic Swimmer) Muffin Man? Well, he doesn’t live on Drury Lane nor does he have a minor role in the Shrek franchise either. No, his name is Henrik Christiansen and this is his third time competing in the Olympics, qualifying for the men’s 800m and 1500m freestyle (whatever that means lolz). “I HEREBY DECLARE MYSELF AS THE OLYMPIC MUFFIN MAN" is what he proclaimed in one of his viral videos. Christiansen might not be gaining recognition for his medal count (much to his dismay) but on the upside, he’s gaining viral recognition all the same thanks to his love for a little chocolate muffin supplied by French catering company, Sodexo Live!.
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Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browserAfter a ton of public pressure from the world wanting, no, NEEDING to know where this lil’ muff hails from, the “French food supplier Coup De Pates took to LinkedIn to unveil the truth: the beloved Olympic muffins are their “Maxi Muffin Chocolat Intense.”
Who woulda thunk it? One of the biggest stars to come out of the Paris 2024 Olympics is a petit chocolate muffin. . .
In other news involving Olympians who are “just like us”, “Suni Lee reveals which food will be her post-Olympics celebration meal”:
“I want, like, some pho,” Lee says. “I’ve been craving pho or some type of soup anywhere I look here, but I just, I can’t find it, but yeah. That’s so Asian of me.”
RELATABLE MUCH?! I’m not sure how much time the Olympians actually have to venture outside of the village but if homegirl just takes a proper jaunt into Paris itself, I’m sure my fellow Parisians will agree with me that she will NOT be disappointed.
And to wrap it all up, here is a cutesy little article on “Classic French pastries and the Olympic sports to pair with them” by Becky Krystal and Cece Pascual - “An entirely subjective and silly guide to the sports that remind us of macarons, croissants and more.”
FINAL THOUGHTS
I don’t know about you but between TikTok Olympic dining hall food reviews from various athletes, a Parmigiano endorsement deal (from 2021 that has since resurfaced and gone viral), a “choccy muff”, and Olympian food cravings - the Olympians of the 2024 Olympic Games might just be the most relatable set we’ve ever seen. And I’d say it’s all thanks to food. What’s your take on this?
FIN.
My next issue is already cooking but in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to share this page with anyone you think might like this sort of content. After all, my newsletter can only feed its subscribers if they’re hungry. :)
And lastly, your feedback also means the world! Please feel free to comment below, or email me at thecakewalk@substack.com. xoxo
I would love an Tillamook ice cream endorsement. It's sooo good.
I would warmly accept the endorsement of the Breakfast Burrito Lobby. 😝