Naple’s panettone story : NPR

[ad_1] <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3024x1701+0+846/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fe9%2F14%2F18fa0f604a16baa86791a7fe9f3d%2Fimg-8680.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3024x1701+0+846/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fe9%2F14%2F18fa0f604a16baa86791a7fe9f3d%2Fimg-8680.jpg" class="img" alt="" fetchpriority="high"/> NPR reporter Rachel Treisman, about to discover the Olympic Village. Rachel Treisman/NPR conceal caption

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Rachel Treisman/NPR You are studying the Rachel Goes to the Video games publication — a glance behind the scenes on the Winter Olympics in Italy. Subscribe right here to get it delivered to your inbox.

I used to be among the many fortunate journalists who bought to take a peek across the Milan Olympic Village the week of the opening ceremony, Velcro-ing a "media" armband round my jacket and slipping right into a sea of journalists, volunteers and Olympians from all around the world.

The village is a sprawl of modular buildings and high-rise flats, with the flags and banners of the international locations in residence hanging from balconies and home windows. Sprinkled round it are vital landmarks just like the Olympic rings statue, a health heart with cardio machines and weight racks, and a mindfulness room with coaches, yoga mats and tables for coloring and postcard writing. And the eating corridor, clearly.

My teammate Pien Huang and I sat down with Daniel Smith, the Staff USA Olympic Village director, on the bottom ground of the seven-story constructing that the U.S. shares with athletes from Japan.

Smith mentioned there are about 70 U.S. Olympians staying right here all through the Video games — keep in mind, solely speedskating, determine skating and ice hockey compete in Milan — in addition to some 40 U.S. assist staffers. All instructed, the village will home some 1,500 athletes and group members from world wide over the course of three weeks.

Smith defined that lots of selections about day by day life within the village — from what athletes eat to once they sleep to who will get a roommate — are as much as the particular sports activities and people. However he and different U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee employees are there to "mitigate distractions," whether or not that is facilitating transportation or serving to athletes who get locked out of their rooms.

"I believe the suggestions that we get is lots of gratitude," mentioned Smith, who's working his third Video games.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3024x1701+0+1548/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F9e%2F15%2F627ed6b34777a1503fc7a87d6334%2Fimg-8780.JPG" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3024x1701+0+1548/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F9e%2F15%2F627ed6b34777a1503fc7a87d6334%2Fimg-8780.JPG" class="img" alt="The cafeteria, where the food is intentionally bland." loading="lazy"/> The cafeteria, the place the meals is deliberately bland. Rachel Treisman/NPR conceal caption

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Rachel Treisman/NPR Simply 72 hours after opening, it was too quickly to inform what facet of the village would possibly go viral. Up to now Smith hasn't seen any of the Olympic-themed condoms that had been all the craze in Paris in 2024, or heard anybody fawning over particular desserts the best way they did over the chocolate muffins ("We're ready on the desserts to form of hit").

The truth is, the meals is not precisely making waves — which Smith says is on goal. Round lunchtime, the one actual line we observed was for pasta with meat sauce. Whereas the yogurts, meats, greens, pasta, pizza and bread choices appeared like fairly normal cafeteria fare to me (decidedly NOT an athlete), Smith says the meals is blander than it seems to be.

"We're right here in Italy, in one of many capitals of gastronomy on this planet, however right here within the Olympic Village, the meals could be very catered to [be] sports-specific," Smith provides. "So not lots of condiments, not lots of taste. You form of must taste your individual meals."

What I am consuming <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4032x2268+0+378/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc1%2F3b%2F3920f1bd45e1ad6b6ef659929c49%2Fimg-8957.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4032x2268+0+378/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc1%2F3b%2F3920f1bd45e1ad6b6ef659929c49%2Fimg-8957.jpg" class="img" alt="A slice of fruitcake with a plop of cream." loading="lazy"/> Panettone, heat from the oven. Rachel Treisman/NPR conceal caption

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Rachel Treisman/NPR Weeks in the past, once I was researching-slash-manifesting quirky experiences for this text, I got here throughout an attention-grabbing tidbit: It is a custom in Milan for individuals to eat their leftover panettone — the raisin-studded Christmas fruitcake related to the town — on Feb. 3.

That is the feast day of San Biagio (Saint Blaise). The patron saint of throat sicknesses, amongst different issues, is credited with saving the lifetime of a younger boy who was choking on a fishbone — however has evidently taken on the function of protector in opposition to all types of throat-related illnesses, together with sleep apnea and strep.

In keeping with a number of native English-language publications, many households in Milan put apart a bit of panettone at Christmastime to allow them to eat it later, as a strategy to defend in opposition to sickness throughout flu season. That appears to be the results of a unique apocryphal legend, involving a peasant girl who introduced a panettone to a priest for a Christmas blessing however forgot to choose it up till many weeks later.

Anyway, I made a word of all this however awoke yesterday not sure whether or not I had the time and/or sources to analyze the standing of stale panettone throughout the town. However in an exhilarating flip of occasions, a bunch of us determined to separate a dessert at dinner, and guess what was on the menu! Our waiter really useful the panettone instantly, and likewise confirmed that the custom is actual. Ours wasn't a Christmas leftover, although — it was smooth, heat and completely scrumptious.

In Olympic information <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/6036x3395+0+314/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd8%2Fc9%2F21925c7a4560b55ef1be0b24e43a%2F2026-01-15t000000z-1218232010-mt1nurpho000tzkje9-rtrmadp-3-europe-figureskating-championships-day2-1.JPG" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/6036x3395+0+314/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd8%2Fc9%2F21925c7a4560b55ef1be0b24e43a%2F2026-01-15t000000z-1218232010-mt1nurpho000tzkje9-rtrmadp-3-europe-figureskating-championships-day2-1.JPG" class="img" alt="" loading="lazy"/> Tomàs-Llorenç Guarino Sabaté of Spain competes on the European Determine Skating Championships within the U.Ok. on Jan. 15. He'll be allowed to put on his Minion overalls on the Olympics this month. Yuan Tian/NurPhoto by way of Reuters conceal caption

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Yuan Tian/NurPhoto by way of Reuters We've to speak about Miniongate.

In case you missed it: Spanish Olympian Tomàs-Llorenç Guarino Sabaté confirmed earlier this week that he was being compelled to alter the music to his Despicable Me-themed quick program — a nightmare, so near the most important competitors of his profession — as a result of a last-minute licensing dispute.

The web caught wind and rallied behind Sabaté within the hopes he might don his overalls in spite of everything, within the title of caprice and all that's enjoyable. Yesterday, the skater posted on Instagram that Common Studios had reconsidered and granted him the rights for this specific event, to which everybody responded: BANANA!

Music licensing has turn into an more and more thorny problem in determine skating, which is why many older packages on YouTube are actually lacking their unique scores. A set of American pairs skaters had been hit with — and finally settled — a lawsuit for allegedly utilizing an unauthorized cowl throughout the 2022 Beijing Olympics, and Staff USA's Alysa Liu needed to scrap her unique Woman Gaga routine earlier this season as a result of she could not get the YouTube cowl rights. She debuted her revamped program in January, and I am positive you will hear extra about that from me later.

Earlier than you go <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/6000x3375+0+276/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F63%2Ffb%2F3122bda443d4912a37a8f30e3011%2Fgettyimages-2203882031.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/6000x3375+0+276/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F63%2Ffb%2F3122bda443d4912a37a8f30e3011%2Fgettyimages-2203882031.jpg" class="img" alt="Katie Uhlaender of the U.S. after finishing a women’s skeleton race heat in March. After she appealed, she was denied her chance to compete at her sixth Winter Games." loading="lazy"/> Katie Uhlaender of the U.S. after ending a ladies's skeleton race warmth in March. After an attraction, she was denied her probability to compete at her sixth Winter Video games. Al Bello/Getty Photos conceal caption