Is food the key to world peace? With ten days to go before the Olympic Games open in Paris, chefs are preparing to cook 500 different dishes for the many athletes taking part.
Three million bananas to fuel Olympics
Is food the key to world peace? With ten days to go before the Olympic Games open in Paris, chefs are preparing to cook 500 different dishes for the many athletes taking part.
At last the Olympic torch reached Paris. Its journey had started at OlympiaA town in western Greece. in Greece, where it was lit for the first time.
Next it went to Athens, and then by boat to MarseilleA port city in southern France. . Its route from there to the French capital was higgledy-piggledy, criss-crossing the country. It was even flown to MartiniqueA Caribbean island that is an overseas region of France. .
Its arrival in Paris coincided with a key national holiday, Bastille DayThe national day of France, celebrated each 14 July. It is the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille prison, which was a major event during the French revolution. . In the heart of the city it was handed to one of France's greatest footballers, Thierry Henry.
The idea of the long relay, writes Roger Cohen in The New York Times, was to "bring all of France and the FrancophoneFrench-speaking world together in a joyous celebration". Instead, "France has endured a season of bitter division... and the country finds itself in a chaotic political impasseA situation in which you can make no progress, often due to two sides not agreeing. ".
This is the result of the general election called by President Macron. In it, left-wing parties came together to defeat the hard-right National Rally. But it is not clear who will form the next government.
The Olympics have traditionally been seen as an event above politics. They are supposed to bring people from all over the world together in peace. President Macron may have failed to bring harmony, but it is hoped that the chefs catering for the event will do better.
The operation is a huge one. The dining hall in the Olympic Village is 220m long and 24m wide and can seat 3,500 people.1
It is divided into six restaurants, each serving a different type of food, from French or Asian to halalMeaning "lawful", a dietary rule followed by many Muslims. It includes rules on how animals should be slaughtered. . Up to 40,000 meals will be served per day.
According to chef Jeff Leidy, bananas are athletes' favourite food: "We anticipate getting two or three million bananas."2
There are many other people to be fed too, from staff to spectators. The head of the Paris Olympics expects 13 million meals to be served altogether.3
Is food the key to world peace?
Yes: Coming together to eat is something that all cultures have in common, and discovering the food of other nations is the most effective way of building a relationship with them.
No: However well ordinary people connect over food, world peace depends on politicians who are driven by their own ambitions. The best meal in the world will not persuade Vladimir PutinRussia's ruler since 2000. He is a strong opponent of the West. to withdraw from Ukraine.
Or... Sport is a much more effective key. People who cannot communicate in any other way can share the excitement of watching top athletes - and there is no greater opportunity for that than the Olympics.
Olympia - A town in western Greece.
Marseille - A port city in southern France.
Martinique - A Caribbean island that is an overseas region of France.
Bastille Day - The national day of France, celebrated each 14 July. It is the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille prison, which was a major event during the French revolution.
Francophone - French-speaking
Impasse - A situation in which you can make no progress, often due to two sides not agreeing.
Halal - Meaning "lawful", a dietary rule followed by many Muslims. It includes rules on how animals should be slaughtered.
Vladimir Putin - Russia's ruler since 2000. He is a strong opponent of the West.
Three million bananas to fuel Olympics

Glossary
Olympia - A town in western Greece.
Marseille - A port city in southern France.
Martinique - A Caribbean island that is an overseas region of France.
Bastille Day - The national day of France, celebrated each 14 July. It is the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille prison, which was a major event during the French revolution.
Francophone - French-speaking
Impasse - A situation in which you can make no progress, often due to two sides not agreeing.
Halal - Meaning "lawful", a dietary rule followed by many Muslims. It includes rules on how animals should be slaughtered.
Vladimir Putin - Russia’s ruler since 2000. He is a strong opponent of the West.