"winter olympics" news and stories

In honor of the 2010 Olympic winter games, which kick off Feb. 12 in Vancouver, at least three hotel lounges in British Columbia, Canada, are mixing Olympics-themed cocktails for sports fans.

At Fairmont Chateau Whistler's Mallard Lounge, the Triple Lutz is practically all-Canadian. It contains Victoria gin, Ontario ice wine and Crystal Head vodka (from Newfoundland). The hotel also offers the Bobsleigh Slider smoothie for designated drivers, which mixes strawberries, bananas, yogurt and honey with wheatgrass and a dash of cinnamon. Doesn't that make you want to bundle up, head outdoors and zip down a snow-covered mountain in a bobsled?

Yew Restaurant + Bar – inside the Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver – offers the Silver, a unique take on the Caesar (and inspired by the Calgary 1988 Winter Games). It's a spicy blend of buffalo jerky-infused vodka, house-made Clamato juice, chili peppers and horseradish.

The wonderful food that Turin, Italy is famous for is not making its way onto the plates of the Olympic athletes. In fact, there have been numerous complaints about the food, including accusations of food poisoning from the Canadian curling team. Athletes from all over the world, including America and Lithuania, are saying that they "expected more from an Italian kitchen" and wonder "how can you screw up pasta?" Because the Olympic Village is not in a central location, with athletes spread over many villages, the food is not all being prepared by the same kitchen staff. Some athletes are fortunate enough to have a personal or team nutritionist who will prepare all their meals, while others can only look forward to the time that they can spend in Turin itself, sampling the city's non-Olympic offerings.

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I haven't watched much of the winter olympics yet, and to be quite honest, I don't feel all that bad, as I find them slightly...boring. I can't really get into the competitive spirit watching ice dancing the way I do watching, oh, I don't know, football, maybe?

But still, to support the US teams, I'll be switching to the Olympics a few times today with a plate of fudge truffle cookies topped with sugary snow in honor of the all those snow-based sports. They're dark, rich with chocolate, and not too sweet.