After several Olympians expressed dissatisfaction with the food at the Games Village, Indian participants, including two-time Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker and other shooters, are enjoying Indian food at restaurants like Taj Mahal and Le Bombay in Chateauroux, France, reported PTI. Manu Bhaker became the first Indian athlete to win two medals in the same edition since Independence. Atif Noman, co-owner of the Taj Mahal restaurant in the city centre, clearly remembers serving Manu “her favourite dishes”. “When I saw her making history for India on TV, I remember serving her Indian dishes,” Noman told PTI. He said she has been here many times.
Noman, who hails from Pakistan’s Punjab province, further revealed the Indian dishes the Olympians usually ordered. “Matar paneer, dal makhani, palak paneer, all medium spicy and plain naan were their regular orders. They used to come in batches and eat only vegetarian food,” he said. “Since the competitions are on, they have stopped coming and now mostly coaches and officials keep coming. It was really a lovely experience to meet them and talk to them in Hindi. They also loved our food and kept coming every day,” he added.
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Just 300 metres from the Taj Mahal restaurant is Le Bombay restaurant, which has been serving Indian cuisine for 38 years. “It was like a ‘home away from home’ for them. This is the first time we have seen so many Indians coming here and they loved every moment of it,” restaurant manager Mohammad Hamza, who is from Afghanistan, told PTI.
The manager said their food is prepared without spices. “The shooters mostly eat vegetarian dishes like dal, roti or vegetables, which do not have spices. We often give them some food items for free,” he said.
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According to reports, despite stories of Michelin-starred chefs helping prepare the menus at the Paris Games Village, chefs and participants have made numerous complaints about the food, such as small portions and a lack of high-protein foods.