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)