Lindsey Vonn Makes a Mean Chicken Schnitzel
Photo © NBC Olympics / USOC
Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn tells F&W about her mastery of schnitzel and her eating misadventures in Sochi, Russia.—Justine Sterling
Comfort Food Abroad: I’ve been visiting Austria since I was nine. My favorite food there is kaiserschmarrn. It’s like a thick pancake cut into little pieces with powdered sugar and raisins. I also love germknödel, a big dough ball with a jam filling and vanilla cream and poppy seeds on top.
High-Octane Racing Fuel: Usually I have fish (salmon is my go-to) grilled with olive oil. I try to stay away from meat and other heavy stuff.
Post-Race Snack: If I’m not racing again the next day, I’ll have dark chocolate, like Ritter Sport. When I am racing again, my typical snack is a pumpernickel, almond butter and apple sandwich.
European Athletes vs. American: The weirdest thing for Europeans is an American-style breakfast. For them, breakfast is a piece of bread with meat and cheese.
Perfect Breakfast: Scrambled eggs and toast, or pancakes or oatmeal—something hot and substantial. Not one slice of bread.
Eating Bravely: I’m a Midwesterner, and in general we aren’t super-adventurous with food. But I try to be open-minded. For example, I tried oysters. They’re terrible and slimy and gross. But I tried them.
Favorite Cooking Project: I actually make a really good chicken schnitzel. The meat has to be pounded very thin. And I always use nice olive oil.
An Unfortunate Meal in Sochi: I recently went to Sochi to test the venue. I think they were trying to serve us food we liked—but chicken wings are not a good meal for athletes. I guess Americans make generalizations about other people and they make generalizations about us.
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