CHINESE FLAVOR, GLOBAL TASTE

Besides the Chinese cuisine, which accounts for one-third of the menu, athletes here are offered hundreds of dishes catering to various tastes and requirements at the three competition zones of Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou, according to the organizing committee's village planning and operation department.

The menu, developed over nearly four years, is designed to meet the athletes' different dietary needs while also taking religious diversity into consideration, said Song Xueying, operations director of the Yanqing Winter Olympic Village.

Authentic Chinese food ranges from Peking Duck, Kung Pao Chicken, Ma Po Tofu, dumplings to regional specialties such as spicy Sichuan Dandan noodles, hotchpotch and Cantonese Char Siu, or Chinese BBQ pork.

Jutta Leerdam, a 23-year-old speed skater from the Netherlands, posted her favorite spicy hotchpotch on social media. "This is the famous Chinese snack, spicy hotchpotch, which is healthier than burger and fries," lauded Leerdam, with many followers commenting on how delicious it looked.

Apart from traditional Asian cuisines such as sushi, udon noodles and stir-fried kimchi, western pizza and pasta are also available to satisfy diversified tastes, according to the organizing committee.

In addition, a range of vegetarian, halal and kosher dishes are served in the canteen to meet the specific dietary needs of athletes from different cultures.

The catering services at the Beijing Games have won wide appreciation from Olympic family members including International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach.

"If I had stayed in the village for three days, I would have gained another 10 pounds," he said when visiting the Olympic Village at Yanqing on Feb 11.

HIGH-TECH DINING

The high-tech-oriented dining environment in the Main Media Center has also become a hit with the robotic bartender in the smart canteen, Mr Mix, becoming a popular talking point on social media.

The canteen, with an area of 3,700 square meters, can accommodate nearly 1,000 diners and serve up more than 100 dishes at any one time.

"We have more than 10 pieces of smart catering equipment including the automatic fried wok, the sky track, burger machine as well as the bartender," said Zhong Zhanpeng, project supervisor of the MMC smart restaurant in an interview with Xinhua.

Robot chefs that are capable of independently cooking a variety of dishes from start to finish, have been introduced at the Beijing Games. "With great efficiency, they are almost as good as real human chefs in terms of the outcome as we have received good comments from the journalists," Zhong said.

The dishes are delivered to the tables by a computer-controlled track, called sky track, that lowers the food from the ceiling by lowering it to the tables below.

"I really enjoy it. Not only is it very efficient, it's fun as well. It's enjoyable to watch the robot drop food down to you and deliver it," a media worker from the UK said.

Xinhua