An American’s guide to Canadian food: baffled Yanks panic over what nibbles to serve at their Olympic parties
With little more than a week until the 2010 winter games, Americans are apparently stressing out over what to serve at their Canuck-themed Olympic parties. “I remember doing a viewing party for the Beijing Olympics, and we got a bunch of Chinese takeout,” a clueless party planner told the Sacramento Bee. He asked his Canadian friends, the local paper and even the Canadian consulate for help with his menu (since they clearly have nothing better to do).
Rather than recommending whale blubber and Tim Hortons, the Bee seeks advice from Michael Smith, the P.E.I. chef presently trying to forget his landmark trouncing on Iron Chef America by cooking for Olympians in Whistler. Smith recommends seafood chowder to represent the Maritimes, chinook salmon for the West Coast, and grains and legumes for the prairies. The piece also recommends tourtière and baked beans to reflect Montreal, “Chinese ginger beef” from Calgary (this baffles us, too), Nanaimo bars for Vancouver and, of course, poutine.
• Canadian food for Olympian appetites [Sacramento Bee]
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