Postcard from Beijing Olympics: A love-hate relationship with the food offerings, and advice from Bonnie Blair-Cruikshank
ZHANGJIAKOU, China – I keep thinking of four-time Olympian Bonnie Blair-Cruikshank’s incredible Olympic food story, because something about the food here in China isn’t settling well with me.
There’s plenty of food, mind you, even in our limited and restricted closed-loop bubble.
That means I have a choice of my hotel buffet, when I’m actually at my hotel; two Chinese restaurants at the press center, as well as a Westernized Pizza Hut and KFC, when I am there. (Yes, that’s it.)
Usually I’m out at skiing events, so it’s snack food.
It all tastes anywhere from really good to decent, too, and the first few days I got here I did eat just fine.
And then we got so busy that I would realize at 9 p.m. that I hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and I was either too tired or too busy to fetch dinner. I would just have an apple and a Coke (thank you God for cola here).
And now, into my second week in China, I am not tolerating much of anything. I don’t know if it’s the smell, some kind of seasoning that seems to be in everything, the sauce base. There’s rice and dumplings and lots of fresh vegetables to balance out the cool stuff I’m not adventurous enough to eat anyway.
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We are not allowed to drink the water in China and some reporters are avoiding even the fresh produce that they cannot peel — like a banana. You’re even supposed to brush your teeth with bottled water, but I hate wasting water so I’m not doing it. I’ve been eating the cucumbers and tomatoes.
Maybe that’s it.
The food offerings here are so much healthier, though. I haven’t seen a potato chip or pretzel, and very little junky, nutrient-lacking, high-calorie processed food. But even the plain rice gives me stomach aches.
So I try to force down something in the morning and bring an apple, orange and banana to my sports. And thank you China, the snack-size Snickers for media are free.
It’s all good. I figure after two years of emotional eating during the pandemic, I can spare a few pounds. Feeling queasy just makes work hard and withstanding the cold weather tough too.
But have you ever heard Blair-Cruikshank’s story? She told me this two weeks ago.
"I always traveled with my jar of Skippy super chunky peanut butter,” she said. “Jelly was always pretty universal, for sure. Peanut butter wasn't.”
But her story from the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville might be the best thing I have heard in my life.
“In Albertville, the food wasn’t that great there,” she said. “And this was in France!
“You would think, France. Good food, right?”
She talked to the Olympic committee: could someone at least put out some cereal and some milk? They did, for her.
“But at our village, the food was not so great. I think the bobsledders were at a different village, and they had white linen table cloths! We were like, what? Are you kidding me?” Blair-Cruikshank said.
“Our food in the main village was nothing to write home about.
“My goal for that Games was, I wanted to win a medal because I knew if it was any color, I would get invited to a nice dinner by some sponsor.
“And I would get a good meal. That was another part of my focus for those Games.”
Blair-Cruikshank won speedskating gold medals in the 500 and 1,000 meters in Albertville.
I’m going to grab some Tums.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Beijing Winter Olympics postcard: Love-hate relationship with the food
