Menu for Olympic Village cafeteria revealed

Director Kang Yi of the Food and Beverage Administration under the Games Services Department of BOCOG

(BEIJING, April 29) -- As the Olympics approach, planners are concretizing more specific details on providing a homey atmosphere for the tens of thousands of athletic delegations that will be visiting Beijing for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. In order to accommodate the different culinary tastes of the representatives, who hail from 200 countries and regions around the world, the Food and Beverage Administration of BOCOG's Games Services Department have created a sort of "menu" catering to the myriad tastes of the international guests.

Home Cooking

In considering what food to make available for the visitors, Kang Yi, head of the above-stated arm of BOCOG, told reporters that planners had to think from the angle of "differences," considering different countries, different cultural backgrounds, different customs, and different eating habits to come up with appropriate arrangements.

In the Olympic Green there sits the Olympic Village. In the Olympic Village, there sits a cafeteria for athletes. In the cafeteria, there sits four differently labeled sections: international, Mediterranean, Asian, and Chinese. No matter where the guests may come from, Kang has assured that they will taste a bit of home while in Beijing.

According to the director, the menu includes a plethora of food, some catering to religious and health-conscious needs. The menu will operate on an 8-day rotating schedule, so as to avoid monotony.

30% Chinese

The food presented during the Games to athletes will be mostly of the Western variety. According to Kang, only 30% of the food in the cafeteria will be Chinese. This is because, Kang says, athletes want to eat well in order to prepare for their competitions. This includes feeling comfortable with what they eat, and familiarity is often a part of that comfort.

Another habit that foreigners have is to measure food by the number of calories it carries. This is something that most Chinese are not familiar with. As such, all western food served in the cafeteria will be accompanied by nutrition labels so that athletes may make informed decisions about their meals. Chinese food, according to custom, will not carry nutrition information.

Food security

In order to ensure the safety of food and food products, BOCOG and relative government departments will be fully cooperating to see that from the field to the dining table, all ingredients are fully protected.

Kang outlined an intricate procedural route which included ingredient requests from BOCOG's Games Services Department to Beijing's business bureau. After meeting criteria there, the food will be sent on to a city food safety center, where the majority of the food work will be overseen.

Food will not be the only thing under tight observation by Beijing. Using advanced technology, including GPS, GRS, and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), security personnel will be monitoring Olympic hotels, venues, manufacturers, distribution centers, and hospitals, among other sites.

In this manner, if any problem does arise with regards to food, BOCOG and Beijing's business bureau will be notified immediately and appropriate actions can be taken.