A night to celebrate!

Last night, quite a few of us USOC staff went to the bronze medal women’s hockey game. Even though there was some lingering disappointment on our team that they were playing in the bronze medal game instead of the gold medal game, they came out fired up and ready to go. They would’ve preferred to be playing a different team for a different medal, but the team really rallied and posted a 4-0 victory over Finland for the bronze. The stands were full of USA fans, so being a spectator was really exciting!

After the game, we all went to our favorite local restaurant- Trattoria da Gaspare. The restaurant is named after the owner, Gaspare. Just like most of the restaurants around here, it’s a family-run business with Gaspare as the host/waiter, his sister a waitress, and his mother the chef. When we go in as a large group, we ask what his mother feels like fixing that evening so we don’t make her mad!! Although there are menus in English, no one reads them. Gaspare’s delivery of the daily specials is the highlight of the meal! Did I mention how good the food is there also?

Every region in Europe seems to have a specialty after-dinner drink. On the island of Crete, Greece it was ouzo (no use explaining that one, you just have to experience it!). At this one restaurant in Athens during the Summer Games, it was a cored out lemon with DiSorono. At Gaspare’s, it’s a sugar cube soaked in 180 proof alcohol served with a coffee bean on top. Just to make it more interesting, the sugar-cube is lit on fire and consumed during combustion (funny, I never see the locals light their sugar cubes!)!! This picture is of me about to have my sugar cube lit for consumption!

Don’t worry, Mom. It may seem like I’m still up to my old shananagans, but the quantity and fanfare surrounding these stunts is much less than it was 10-15 years ago!!!