Korean Short Rib Stew That Melts in Your Mouth: ‘Crazy Smell of Rice’ Fills the Milan Athletes’ Village [Milan 2026]

[Financial News] It is 1 p.m. on a Saturday. In Korea, many people are just starting to think about what to have for lunch, but on the other side of the globe in Italy, the day has only just pushed past a hectic morning.
With the opening of the Milan–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, fueling Team Korea’s "golden run" has also begun in earnest. Even on sub-zero Alpine snowfields, the smell of freshly cooked rice is rising from what has been dubbed the "Milan K-meal operation."
The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) announced that from February 6, the opening day of the Games (local time), through the 22nd, it has begun operating meal support centers at three hubs: Milan, Cortina d'Ampezzo, and Livigno.
The core of this meal operation is to "preserve warmth." KSOC has allocated 2.2 billion won and, for the first time, introduced self-heating lunchboxes on a full scale.
The principle is similar to military field rations, but the quality is closer to hotel dining. When you pull the strip at the bottom of the lunchbox container or pour in water, a special heating element activates and instantly releases hot steam.


Because competition schedules are irregular and temperatures in the mountains can plunge to minus 20 degrees Celsius without warning, athletes have often had to make do with cold sandwiches or rice gone hard. Starting with these Games, however, even at 2,000 meters above sea level they can enjoy piping-hot braised short ribs and spicy stir-fried pork, blowing on each bite to cool it down.
The menu alone is enough to make your mouth water. After surveying local ingredients, KSOC secured large quantities of high-quality beef cuts. Every meal features dishes that help tired muscles and joints recover from training, such as ox knee bone soup and braised beef tendon, along with Korean soul foods like bulgogi and spicy stir-fried pork. On Lunar New Year, rice cake soup and assorted jeon (pan-fried delicacies) are also scheduled to be served.
The response has been explosive. On February 6, the first day of delivery, every Korean athlete stationed in Milan (45 meals), Livigno (23), and Cortina d'Ampezzo (23) ordered a lunchbox, and all 182 meals sold out. Rather than struggle to adapt to local food, they chose the comfort and reliability of "K-home cooking."

Visiting the Milan center that day, President of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee Yoo Seung-min put on sanitary gloves and joined the lunchbox packing line himself. "I packed the first lunchboxes with the heart of a mother personally looking after her children," Yoo said, adding, "I hope our athletes will show blazing performances that melt the Alps, powered by hearty meals."
What is on your table this weekend at lunchtime? Your body may be in Korea, but at least for today, it might be worth treating yourself to a warm, filling meal like the one our athletes are eating. After all, Koreans draw their strength from rice, and that energy is sure to travel all the way to Italy.
jsi@fnnews.com Jeon Sang-il Reporter