Olympics: Best of the Wurst

Welcome back - apologies for the extended absence to my one reader that commented. I was in Vancouver for the Olympics - what a crazy experience! I'd love to go into more detail, but when I started the blog I was cautioned by my most committed reader that one of the keys to having a successful blog was to stay on topic (the other was to post regularly enough that people stay interested). Since I'm skirting the line on one of those rules, you'll just have to call me if you want to know anything about my Olympics experience apart from the food.

The IOC really wants to promote the Olympics as a cultural celebration as much as an athletic celebration. As much as programs like Own the Podium dominated the games, the cultural element was very much alive through various "houses" from participating provinces and countries. These houses ranged from conventional expo pavilions to beer halls (Irish house was a bar, Germany house was a tent selling beer and sausage), museums (Northern house could easily have been a gallery in the Museum of Civilization), and musical celebrations (Quebec and Alberta hosted live concerts every day, offering regional drinks and cuisine).

Swiss house was definitely the highlight for me. We came here for lunch after women's bronze metal hockey knowing little about Switzerland aside from the alps, fondue, and chocolate, and we were pleased to discover this is exactly what Switzerland wanted to promote about it's culture! We entered Bridge's restaurant on Granville Island into an alter universe of yodellers, cheese, Ricola, and even a chocolate inukshuk! Although my cheese fondue lunch / chocolate fondue lunch was delicious, it was rather predictable (and filling!).

My father was delighted to find a healthy alternative on the menu - Wurst Kasse Salat (or "worst case salad", as he pronounced it). Any one with any Swiss or German knowledge reading this has probably picked up on why I was confused (and he was thrilled) - "wurst" is sausage and "kasse" is cheese. We watched in awe as this so-called "salad" arrived, garnished by boiled eggs and pickles. Another interesting item was the Swiss mac'n'cheese - macaroni with a swiss cheese sauce and sausage, served with apple sauce. I was advised it was unique and delicious. With our cravings subdued, we exited Swiss house, only to be handed samples of Lindtt chocolates and Ricola on the way out!

Another highlight was Sochi house, which was not much to see by day (unless you can read cyrillic, none of it was in English), but at night was converted into a Russian nightclub! Thanks to an open vodka bar, we tested different vodka brand's offerings (my favourite being the one distilled with birch leaves) while enjoying the Russian nightlife: exotic dancers, Russian hip hop champions, Eurovision reunion bands, and a traditional kossack performance.

Photos from the Olympics are posted on my facebook now if you want to check. I will be back to blogging tomorrow with a quick and delicious midweek dinner recipe.