Great expectations
and a recipe for a satisfying and easy in-season melon, cucumber and cherry tomato salad
Have you been caught up in the Olympics? The fraught, messy and controversial Games that maybe shouldn’t have happened. The expectations we have of the athletes, the expectations they have of themselves. Heartache, disappointment, sudden wild joy, displayed on a world stage for all to see.
While there’s been a lot written about the future relevance of this century-old tradition, I’m not hear to debate the merits, politics or bureaucracy of the Games. Because, just as I have been every two years since I can remember, I’ve been enthralled by a simpler beauty.
By the sheer grit, determination, spirit of camaraderie, and teamwork. By the ability for athletes to come together as competitors, and to leave as cherished friends.
And yet there was something fundamentally different this time around that I hope becomes a new legacy, one for all of us to celebrate, emulate and aspire to.
Great expectations
When you watch these athletes, at the highest level of their game, you recognize their fierce desire to win. Every one of those chosen few, representing the cream of the crop, come with great expectations. To have that golden moment, a dream perhaps held for a lifetime.
This time around, there were so many moments when those great expectations toppled. Simone Biles was expected to sweep her events; the U.S women’s soccer team seemed destined for gold; Qatar’s Barshim the favourite to win at men’s high jump. Yet a different ending for every tale.
Setting a different bar
“Obviously we wanted to get a gold medal. Everyone wants to get a gold medal, Americans love golds. The fact is we potentially didn’t deserve to get a gold medal…We had to change the goal, and it became, ‘Let’s get that bronze.’”
U.S women’s soccer team captain Becky Sauerbrunn, The New York Times
Like so much else, this Olympics may represent a moment when we can celebrate every achievement and victory, not by final ranking, but by the measure of everything that has gone before to lead to the end result.
The sheer joy on Simone Biles’ face after she captured the bronze medal in the balance beam event said it all. Victory fought and won - both off the field of play and on. The medal’s colour mattered not.
“Can we have two golds?”
The best moment amongst many was the final of the men’s high jump. Two rivals, Qatar’s Barshim and Italy’s Tamberi, were tied after both clearing 2.37 meters and missing 3 times at 2.39. They were offered a jump-off to decide the winner.
Barshim had a better idea: how about two golds?
Not a winner take all but an acknowledgment of performance equally achieved, equally deserved. If you haven’t seen this magical moment, watch the video below.
Reaching personal pinnacles
In sports, as in many areas in life, there will always be winners and losers. But perhaps we can think about these terms in a different way. No one loses who sacrifices all to achieve their dreams, no matter the pinnacle reached.
Christine Sinclair, the Canadian women’s soccer team captain, perhaps knows this best of all. With 187 goals scored in international competition, Sinclair is the world's all-time leader for goals scored for men or women. For 15 years, Sinclair has worked to elevate the game in Canada. This year’s gold is the culmination of many accomplishments, each significant beyond just one game.
As meaningful as that win was, Sinclair will go down in Canadian soccer lore as not just the captain who led her team to gold, but as the person who elevated the game for millions of little girls across Canada. And whatever great expectations those little girls develop, let’s celebrate every step they take along the way.
Melon, Cucumber and Cherry Tomato Salad
David Tanis, The New York Times
serves 4
As I’ve been watching the Olympians swelter in the Tokyo heat, I’ve been reminded of how much I crave the lighter side of summer in my cooking. Best of all is when I don’t have to turn on the oven or cooktop to make a completely satisfying salad that’s substantial enough for lunch, especially with the additional of optional feta cheese.
This super simple three-ingredient salad from David Tanis ticks all the boxes. Focused on hyper-seasonal ingredients and a dressing that’s minimal to let the flavours shine, this one will be on repeat. Much like me watching the Olympic highlights, over and over again.
Ingredients
1 small melon, such as cantaloupe or honeydew (about 3 pounds/1.4 kg), peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
8 ounces cherry tomatoes of different colors, halved
2 medium English cucumbers (about 12 ounces/340 grams), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon sumac
Grated zest of one small lime
Generous handful of basil leaves
Generous handful of mint leaves
1 cup (approximately 6 ounces/170 grams) crumbled feta cheese, optional
Place melon, tomatoes and cucumber in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and the sumac. Toss to coat, taste, and adjust seasoning. Add olive oil, lime juice and lime zest. Toss again to incorporate ingredients. Marinate at room temperature for a minimum of 15 and up to 45 minutes.
Add the basil leaves, tearing larger leaves into pieces, and the mint leaves and using a spatula or serving spoon, gently stir in to incorporate herbs. Toss well one last time, taste and add more lime juice, zest or seasonings as desired.
Pass crumbled feta to top the salad, as desired.
