Croissants, macarons, crêpes and pain au chocolat – aside from the food in the Olympic Village, Austria’s Olympic athletes are particularly enthusiastic about the desserts of typical French cuisine. But some are also not averse to a hearty onion soup. Champagne can also flow – but only after the competition! And those who, like judoka Aaron Fara, don’t like French food at all can still find something they would enjoy: “A medal.”
Many ÖOC athletes insist on having a baguette or croissant after getting up. “A croissant in the morning is always good,” says Trampolinspringer Benny Wizani. “The baked goods are a highlight,” agreed Sailor David Hussl “They can bake really well,” said his colleague Alina Kornelli“This is my first time in Paris. I will eat croissants every day,” she says. Badmintonspieler Collins Filimon enjoy it to the fullest. And Discus thrower Lukas Weißhaidinger loves pain au chocolat. “We always eat it in Tenerife. We agreed to eat a real one in Paris. I want to do that the day after the final.”
With and without the Olympics Judo fighter Samuel Gaßner to enjoy sweet treats like tarts: “My French friend’s mother is a pastry chef in Paris, so they often have desserts.” The macarons in the flavors “chocolate and strawberry” have made it Gymnast Charlize Mörz particularly impressed. Judokämpferin Ljubljana Piovesana hopes for a free offer in the Olympic Village. “I love them. I once bought them on the Champs-Élysées, they were so expensive.”
Nutella-Crêpes
Javelin thrower Victoria Hudson You can’t lure people with that. “Just sweet and kind of weird,” said the woman from Lower Austria. But she does like Nutella crepes. Springreiterin Katharina Rhomberg even described the ultra-thin cakes as her “favorite French dish.” The Synchronized swimmers Anna-Maria and Eirini-Marina Alexandris know exactly what they want: “Only the sweets.” An expert in the field of food is Shooter Martin Strempflwho is a trained chef and has also been a head chef: “The cuisine we learn at vocational school comes a lot from classic French cuisine. The French language also plays a big role in the kitchen. Terms like jus, demi-glace, mise en place are all things that come from French cuisine. It is something very special for me to immerse myself in this ambience,” he said.
Described as “relatively Francophile” Rower Louisa Altenhuber her family. “My maternal grandmother grew up in Saarland, right on the border with France. She is bilingual and cooks a lot of French cuisine – ratatouille and so on. As a lightweight rower, I have to stick to a certain diet. I think I’ll get the mousse au chocolat afterwards.”
Delicious: onion soup
Has precise ideas Sprinter Markus Fuchs: “I like onion soup, but more after the competition. But for a few years now I’ve been visualizing a nice coffee or hot chocolate with a croissant.” Taekwondo fighter Marlene Jahl has already tried the classics including snails (“you can do it”) and came to the conclusion: “I really like onion soup. And bread and Camembert.”
In addition to Piovesana and Gaßner, the list of snail refusers also includes Sailor Benjamin Bildstein, Triathlete Alois Knabl, golfer Emma Spitz, swimmer Bernhard Reitshammer and rower Lara Tiefenthaler a.
