Quanjude's Beijing roast duck and traditional snacks will be
provided to athletes and VIP guests visiting China's National
Stadium during the 2008 Olympics, says Zheng Xiusheng, Olympic
service division executive chef with the Beijing Tourism Group.
Zheng, the 53-year-old executive chef with the Beijing Hotel,
was responsible for food services during the construction of
China's National Stadium between August and October. After that he
shifted back to the Beijing Hotel, which is the designated Family
Hotel for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) during the
coming Games.
Above and below left: Australian chef
Frank Bohdan concocts a dish in the shape of China's National
Stadium. Photos by Guo Yingguang
Although the stadium is not yet finished, a hotel chef and
manager team with the Beijing Tourist Group will be working in a
450-sq m kitchen inside the sports venue in April or May next year,
when three testing events will take place there.
"The National Stadium expects 150,000 people visiting on the day
of the opening ceremony on August 8, 2008," Zheng says. "But the
team will mainly be serving 1,000 VIP guests. Meanwhile, we will
have box rice, drinks, dim sum and fruits sent in."
During the coming April and May testing events, the cooks will
serve 600 athletes at the National Stadium. The Beijing Organizing
Committee of the 2008 Olympic Games (BOCOG) has invited a group of
culinary experts and nutritionists to decide on the menu.
"The specific menus are likely to be ready after April or May.
But Western cuisine will make up the majority of the food, and
Chinese food will take up about 30 percent," Zheng says.
Most athletes' meals will comprise mainly meats. Zheng says he
will also offer chocolate and desserts for energy, as well as at
least eight salads.
Other matters of concern include the athletes' preferences, and
preparing specific foods for athletes of various sports. One thing
Chinese nutritionists may have difficulty working out is the
calculation of calories in Chinese dishes, which have more diverse
ingredients than Western dishes.
BOCOG has signed contracts with the Beijing Tourism Group and
ARAMARK, an American catering company, to provide foods for the
Games. The group's team comprises top chefs and managers from 20
hotels within the Beijing Tourism Group, including the Beijing
Hotel, the Beijing International Hotel, the Sheraton Great Wall
Hotel, and the Quanjude Group.
Meanwhile, Beijing's hotels and restaurants are preparing to
serve visitors during the Games. Australian Frank Bohdan, the
executive chef from the Crowne Plaza Park View Wuzhou Beijing, has
concocted a dish in the shape of China's National Stadium. The
Crowne Plaza is just five minutes' walk from the Asian Games
Village.
Bohdan, who was in Sydney for the 2000 Olympics, expects the same
friendly atmosphere and flow of people in Beijing. "My service
staff all want to learn English," he says. "People who come over to
watch sports are health-conscious and know how to take care of
themselves. So we will provide fresh, light, healthy and organic
foods. The number one thing is to cater to everybody's taste, no
matter if it is burgers for Americans, or special dishes for
vegetarians."
Christoph Suter, executive chef at The Westin Beijing, Financial
Street, says that the hotel is already nearly booked out with Games
sponsors and representatives from sporting federations.
Suter says that the three restaurants at his hotel, one Chinese,
one Italian and one serving an international buffet and a la carte,
are ready to offer their international guests a variety of
cuisines.
"The menus at the hotel cater to five food groups, fruit,
vegetables, grains, dairy and meats," says the Swiss German chef.
"We already have signs on the menu signifying, for example,
vegetarian dishes.
"We also have a huge choice of nutritious breakfast foods that
will provide energy."
The hotel also offers a light, healthy spa menu and provides
both Western and Eastern dishes. The hotel's Jewels Chinese
restaurant specializes in Asian and Western fusion foods, which
appeal both to the eyes and the palate.
Restaurateur Renaat Morel expects to serve a lot of Belgian
customers and athletes during the Games. As one of the best Western
restaurants in Beijing, Morel's offers typical Belgian foods such
as mussels, endives, and an array of European beers. Morel says
that he plans to design a set menu consisting of classic Belgian
foods for people who want to eat fast.
But for Morel, it hasn't been all smooth sailing in preparation
for the Games. Road repairs out front of Morel's Liangma branch are
still not finished, encroaching on the restaurant's parking spaces.
And because of local administration hurdles, building a terrace out
the front has proved difficult.
Other problems faced by Beijing's catering businesses include
price hikes in ingredients, and poor toilet hygiene. "There are a
lot of things that need to be finished, besides the stadiums," says
Morel.
(China Daily December 15, 2007)
