2008 Summer Olympic Games

Packed And Ready To Go

2008-08-25T19:52:00.002+08:00

The games are over and I have packed, to return to the United States. I have had a wonderful experience in Beijing, truly a world-class experience. But world-class experience also comes with world-class challenges. Working through each challenge, as they arise, has contributed to the overall experience.

It has been an honor to serve in these Olympic games, and to be a witness to hitory. I've learned so much from the Chinese. I look forward to the possibility of future Olympic experiences - 2010 in Vancouver, 2012 in London, and beyond...

And The Games Come To An End

2008-08-24T22:11:00.001+08:00

It was an exciting day - it was my last day as part of the Olympic Catering Project. I will be returning to the United States in about 48 hours and coudn't be more thrilled. I have loved my experiences here, but it's time to go back home...

Most of the work today was for a large catering event to take place after the Closing Ceremony, for 1,000 people - sandwich trays, salads, cokkie trays, pastry trays, in addition to our regular work load. As we work throughout the day, we also took pictures. I asked a few people to sign an Olympic flag, as a momento, and it turned into an autograph session. Everyone crowded around for thier chance to sign Chef Robert's flag...

Of course, the highlight of the night for everyone was the Closing Ceremony. Since we did not have tickets to attend in the stadium, the big event was the fireworks that took place a several times before, during, and after the ceremony. The fireworks show was nice, but very short...

2008 Summer Olympics - A Safe Olympics!!!!!

2008-08-23T23:41:00.003+08:00

An article was released today as an end-of-games review of the food safety for the Olympics. "Beijing Olympics," a daily publication printed be 'Aigopen' as a courtesy to Beijing, had this to say:

"Beijing's food monitoring authorities said here on Friday that food supply for the Beijing Olympics is '1oo percent' safe and not a single food safety accident has been reported so far.

From Aug. 7 to Aug. 20, supervisors from the Olympic food safety inspection team have monitored more than 1.6 million shares of food and not a single food safety accident was reported, said Tang Yuhua, spokeswoman for food safety coordination with the Beijing Food Safety Administration Office.

The official said Beijing has paid special attention to the four important links in the food supply chain, namely the farms, production, destribution and transportation, and canteens. The city has also carried out thorough training of the cooking staff in the final catering link and kept the filing of the menu, raw material and sampling of prepared food. Meanwhile, in response to possible human criminal act of toxic food, the city has equipped food monitoring staff with fast inspection tools which can detect more than 20 toxins and 40 dangerous substances. To prevent potential chemical or radio active contamination, the city has built up its food accident emergency response database."

Absolutely AWESOME!!! - The Sequel

2008-08-22T20:44:00.003+08:00

Unlike yesterday, the sun was shining, it was warm (but not hot), no smog, just a beautiful day - a beautiful to day to go back to Chaoyang Beach Volleyball Park for the Men's Beach Volleyball finals.

This time, I saw Brazil compete against Georgia for the bronze. Having lived in Brazil for a couple of years and having a special fondness for its culture and people, I cheered for Brazil, who won the bronze. It was a pretty close match, though Brazil beat Georgia in both sets.

Brazil (a different team of course) was up again to take on the United States for the gold. The first set was very close, but the US won, in spite of being behind during part of the set. Brazil won the second set, and it, too, was close. However, when both teams came out for the third, tie-breaking set, it seemed like Brazil had lost focus and energy and the US ran away with an easy victory (or it appeared to be easy), to take the gold.

There aren't words to describe my feelings about this part of my Olympic adventure. I have been to 4 Olympic events and have been a witness to at least one US gold in each event (Men's Double Trap, Women's Discus, Women's Beach Volleybal, and Men's Beach Volleyball).

Sure, I have seen other events on TV like everyone else; I've caught the highlights and have cheered on my country from the comfort of my apartment. But, to witness it live and take in all the excitement and energy of the crowd and to stand as the US National Anthem plays and the American flag is raised to honor a US vicotry is an experience beyond description and one I'll not soon forget.

Absolutely AWESOME!!!

2008-08-21T17:19:00.003+08:00

This morning was, in a word, AWESOME!!! I got to see probably the most anticipated event in the 2008 Summer Olympics - Women's Beach Volleyball. Brazil and China competed for the bronze while China and the United States competed for gold.

In spite of the soaking downpour throughout the morning and being poked in the back and the sides by everyone's umbrellas (that weren't supposed to be used in the stands, according to security stands throughout the arena) it was a spectacular event.

Bronze - China; Silver - China ; GOLD - USA

Again, there's nothing like seeing the red, white, and blue waving in the breeze as the US National Anthem plays while attending an Olympic event, witnessing a US victory.

Don't Serve Those - They Are Poison

2008-08-20T18:32:00.002+08:00

I've asked and asked and asked and asked and still can't get a straight answer, as to the origin of this belief or superstition among most of the Chinese chefs. But, they refuse to prepare green beans, because they are poison and they don't want to be responsible for making someone ill by serving poisonous foods. There's no real rationale to support this beliefe, but it's what they have been taught; I don't understand it, but I respect the country and culture and, therefore, respect their beliefs, including their belief that green beans are poisonous.

They also wont prepare Swiss chard and some other fresh, leafy greens. Either they have never used those ingredients and don't want to try or they have some superstitions regarding them much like the green beans.

I will admit that there are ingredients I will not miss and will not use in my cuisine when I return to the United States. Wood Ear Mushroom, for example - yuck!!!!

Chinese Stadium Concessions

2008-08-19T22:18:00.002+08:00

I recieved an email today asking about the food at the Olympic Venues. I have been to two events now at two different venues and the menu seems to be the same. It's very basic, but the Chinese people are simple. The menu includes:

Sausage (hot dog on a stick - just the meat, not a corn dog)
Bread (a wrapped bun, about the size of an extra large hamburger bun)
Sweet Bread (kind of a combination of a flattened hot dog bun and an apricot danish, without the icing)
Popcorn (popped kettle corn at large venues like the National Stadium and microwave kettle corn at smaller venues like the shooting range)
Snickers (the official candy bar of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games)
2 kinds of individual ice creams
Bottled Water
Coke and Diet Coke
Sprite
Fanta Orange
Budweiser (an official sponsor of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games)
Tinsing Beer (an official sponsor of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games)

Of course, no one comes to the Olympics for the venue concessions. They come to support their country, to witness history in the making, and to have a world-class, global experience.

A Fantastic Day

2008-08-18T23:17:00.004+08:00

It was absolutely and fantastic day. I would have to say I only have 3 complaints from today - 1) My battery died in my camera this morning and I had to go back to my apartment to get my spare, which also died (fortunately at the end of the night), 2) the concessions available at Olympic Venues is not much to brag about, and 3) Sara, my love, my best friend, my wife, was not here to enjoy it with me... Other than that, a perfect day...

The day was sunny and bright, making a perfect backdrop for pictures. Low humidity and a slight breeze made the temperature comfortable and pleasant as well...

Spent a couple of hours exploring the Olympic Forest. It's much bigger than I thought and I only got to see about half of it. I will have only one other opportunity to see the rest, but that will be the day before I leave China and might have other things to do, so I might not make back. It will be worth the effort to see the rest, though, if I can make it.

Caught, just by chance, a parade going through Olympic Park, much like the daily parades than pass through Disneyland...

I attended my second Olympic event today, in the Bird's Nest (China's National Stadium). It was electrifying. The crowd was so enthusiastic and energetic, especially when a Chinese athlete was up to compete.

I got to see several events this evening:

Women's Discus Finals - USA's Stephanie Brown-Trafton won the Gold Medal on her first throw; I got chills and felt very honored to be in another country, experiencing something like the Olympics, surounded by tens fo thousands of foreigners, and rising to the US National Anthem

Women's Pole Vault Finals - USA'a Jennifer Stuczynski won the Silver Medal

Women's 100m Hurdle Semi-Finals - USA's Lolo Jones, Dawn Harper, and Damu Cherry all qulaified for the finals

Men's 200m Quarter-Finals - USA's Walter Dix and Wallace Spearman qualified for the Semi-Finals

Men's Long-Jump Finals - no US athletes in that competetion

Women's 400m Hurdle Semi-Finals - USA's Sheena Tosta and tiffany Ross-Williams qualified for the finals

Men's 3000m Steeplechase Finals - USA's Anthony Famiglietti finished 13th out of 15

Women's 800m Finals - no US athletes in that competition

5 Medal Ceremonies from previous competitions

Where Did Everybody Go?

2008-08-17T18:39:00.003+08:00

When a high profile athlete enters the building for interviews with news crews, many of our staff simply disappear, hoping for an autograph and photo opportunity with the "big star." Such was the case today, when Michael Phelps came for an interview and early dinner at our Fine Dining restaurant in the International Broadcast Center. The culinarians who were supposed to be cooking dinner just vanished and the kitchen, for a time, seemed like a ghost town.

It took quite a bit of pushing, pulling, and prodding to get everyone back into the kitchen to continue their work.

I can admit, I would have liked an autograph and/or a photo op with Phelps as well; but, I am here to do a job and that job comes first. Besides, I don't think it's very professional for us, as staff, to make such a scene. I got to see him from a distance, as he was concluding an interview and was being followed by photographers and TV cameras, but no further attempt to get any closer. My focus was on getting the kitchen back up and running and we couldn't do that and play paparazzi at the same time.

Newspaper Coverage

2008-08-16T22:04:00.002+08:00

Food service at Olympic Village received a little pat on the back so to speak in "Beijing Olympics: The Press for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad" newspaper circulating throughout Olympic Village and local hotels. The paper said:

"According to Deng Yaping, deputy head of the Olympic Village, the canteens in the village have set a world record in terms of scale and quality of the food service they have provided. She said that 18,634 people dined in the village's main canteen from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Aug 8 alone, far exceeding the figures at the Athens and Sydney Games. 460 dishes of all major international cuisines are served in the main canteed around the clock, with the menu changing every day on an eight-day cycle of rotation.

Meanwhile, 181 tests on food samples from the village have been conducted, with all results meeting the safety standards, added Deng. Deng also noted that the management team of the Olympic Village has so far received 49 letters of compliments, while not a single letter of complaint has been filed."

It's always nice to get a little pat on the back from time to time. It has been an honor a privilege to be involved in this project.

The Olympic Flame & the Today Show

2008-08-15T21:39:00.004+08:00

It was such a beautiful day, I couldn't pass up the chance to snap a couple of pictures of the Olympic Flame on top of the Bird's Nest. I did a little research on the history of the flame and this is what I have found:

From Wikipedia:
"The Olympic Flame or Olympic Torch is a symbol of the Olympic Games. Commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, its origins lie in ancient Greece, when a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics. The fire was reintroduced at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, and it has been part of the modern Olympic Games ever since.

The Olympic Torch today is ignited several months before the opening celebration of the Olympic Games at the site of the ancient Olympics in Olympia, Greece. Eleven women, representing the roles of priestesses, perform a ceremony in which the torch is kindled by the light of the Sun, its rays concentrated by a parabolic mirror.

The Olympic Torch Relay ends on the day of the opening ceremony in the central stadium of the Games. The final carrier is often kept secret until the last moment, and is usually a sports celebrity of the host country. The final bearer of the torch runs towards the cauldron, often placed at the top of a grand staircase, and then uses the torch to start the flame in the stadium. It is considered a great honour to be asked to light the Olympic Flame. After being lit, the flame continues to burn throughout the Olympics, and is extinguished on the day of the closing ceremony.

Since the first Olympic games celebrated in the modern time, the Olympic Torch has become symbol of the peace between the continents (as well as the Olympians, that share this role in our modern celebration)."
In addition to the beautiful weather, I got to spend a few minutes at the set of the Today Show as they began their live broadcast from Olympic Park this evening (this morning, back in the US).

What Have I Eaten

2008-08-14T21:04:00.003+08:00

Another faithful and frequent reader has asked about the strangest things I've eaten while here in China. Well, here's a little snap-shot:

Fried Scorpion (taste like a potato chip)
Grilled Snake (taste like chicken)
Donkey Penis (taste a lot like a rubber ball)
Yak's Tongue (yummy!!!)
Chicken Feet
Duck's Neck
Aside from these very unusual treats, how about some of these potato chip falvors:

Fish and Onion
Italian Red Meat
Tomato Ketchup
Chinese Sweet & Spicy
American BBQ Beef (not at all like BBQ chips back home)

So, How About Your Health...

2008-08-13T22:57:00.002+08:00

I was asked recently, in an email from a frequent reader, about my state of health in Beijing and if I was well. Well, dear reader, I am well...

The first month was miserable. I experienced what we have called the "Beijing hack" - difficulty breathing (almost like asthma), severe cough (which has resulted in abdominal definition I haven't had since high school), and dry, itchy throat. And, yes, this lasted a good month; I thought for a time it wouldn't go away...

My diet and the amount of regular exercise I get (in the form of walking from one end of the building to the other multiple times a day) has resulted in a good amount of weight loss and has lowered my blood sugar considerably. As a diabetic, this is great news. I'm hoping it's enough for my doctor to consider taking me off my meds; that's another subject for another day... This has given me a whole new supply of energy, which I need to make it through most of my days right now. Feeding over 15,000 people a day does get to a person after a while...

No major aches and pains, other the normal ones at the end of the day. I have, in only 1 1/2 months, worn out the only pair of Dr. Scholl's gel inserts I brought, something that usually takes me almost a year. The Chinese use a type of bamboo mat as sole inserts, and they are not very comfortable. I'm looking forward to returning to the US and good ol' Dr. Scholl's.

That's about it, I guess... Generally speaking, I haven't felt this good since high school...

My First Olympic Event

2008-08-13T00:22:00.003+08:00

It was an incredible day - long and busy, but rewarding. I attended my first Olympic event - Shooting. The day started early with a taxi ride to the Beijing Olympic Shooting Complex where I got to see the qualification round of the Men's 50m pistol competition...

USA's Jason Turner came in 21st...

USA's Daryl Sarvenski came in 14th...

Watching the 50m Pistol compettion, I missed the first round of the Men's Double Trap competition. I did, however, get to see the second and final rounds.

USA's Walton Eller took the Gold. Way to go Walton... Go Team USA!!!

All In A Day's Work - Part 2

2008-08-11T19:39:00.002+08:00

Yesterday, I lined out, in general terms, what a typical day at IBC is like, from the perspective of food options. As for my little part of it, I thought I would share what a typical day is for me and my staff...

I am currently assigned as the Garde Manger Chef (cold kitchen Chef). This is what a typical day looks like for us (myself and 10 Chinese culinary students):

1,450 sandwiches/wraps
700 boxed side salads
8 different compound salads (pasta salad, for example), about 150 pounds each
250 Executive boxed lunches for catering events
3 kinds of Paninis prepared, 180 each
3,500 individually wrapped pastries and cookies (we do the wrapping)
45 large cookie trays - for 1,500+ people
450 assorted dessert boxes, with 4 different snacks in each

There is a lot more that takes place in the cold kitchen, but there are other Garde Manger Chefs on other shifts who take care of those things... This is what I am responsible for during a 12 -14 hour shift, 6 days a week...

All in a day's work...

All In A Day's Work

2008-08-10T19:26:00.003+08:00

In general terms, here's what we serve to the broadcasters of the world in the International Broadcast Center:

Staff Dining: Bottled Water, Soup, Rice, 2 Meat dishes, 2 Vegetables

Main Dining A: Drinks, 5 Pizzas, 2 Pastas, 2 Sauces, 2 Meat Toppings, Assorted Breads, Rice, Meat Entree, Vegetable Side, 4 Skewers, 2 Grilled Sausages, 8 Cold Compound Salads, Assorted Fruits, Assorted Pastries, Assorted Snacks, Assorted Ice Cream

Main Dining B: Drinks, Tossed Salad Greens, 8 Assorted Salad Toppings, 2 Paninis, Rice, 12 Assorted Chinese Wok-Fried Meats and Vegetables, Assorted Fruits, Assorted Pastries, Assorted Snacks, Assorted Ice Cream

2 Cafes: Drinks, Coffee/Espresso/Etc, 8 Assorted Pastries, 8 Assorted Snacks, 3 To-Go Salads, 3 To-Go Sandwiches, Assorted Fruit

Fine Dining: (Restaurant-Style Table Service) 2 Appetizers, 2 Salads, 2 Entrees, 2 Desserts, 8 Imported Beers, 8 Wines

A Sad Day

2008-08-09T22:11:00.003+08:00

Today, we received sad news of a tragic event that happened yesterday in Beijing. A 47-year-old Chinese man attacked a couple of Americans at the DrumTower, a 1,300 year old relic of imperial China and a popular tourist spot. The Americans, family members of a coach for the US men's indoor volleyball team, were stabbed by the man who afterwards jumped from the Drum Tower to his own death. One of the victims died in the attack and the other was seriously injured.

My heart, thoughts, and prayers go out to the surviving victim and the family.

In the wake of this attack, we have been instructed to be extra careful and vigilant when venturing out in public during the duration of the games. Nonetheless, China remains a very safe country with a very low rate of violent crime, even in large cities like Beijing.

We do not know at this time if this was Olympic related or politically motivated. The victims were not wearing anything that would set them apart from any other tourist as American or any other nationality.

Again, my thoughts and prayers are with the family, the vicitm, and the rest of the US delegation to the Olympics. May the Lord protect us all and carry us home safely...

Let The Games Begin

2008-08-08T20:37:00.004+08:00

While a few events began on Wednesday, today marks the official start to the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China. The 2 weeks of competition begins with the opening ceremony, held today, August 8, 2008 at 8:00 pm. A burst of fireworks were shot off at exactly 8:08 pm - 8:08, 08-08-08...

We are now feeding almost 30,000 atheletes, trainers, officials, and media, resulting in an estimated 3.5 million meals prepared over the next 2 weeks. There are over 800 recipes on our menu and more than 7,000 people working around the clock to prepare it all.

This is truly a world-class experience, for the greatest athletes in the world...

Traditional Soy Sauce

2008-08-07T20:22:00.004+08:00

Due to increased security for tomorrow's opening ceremony many parts of the city, including certain subway lines, were closed today and will be closed tomorrow, so I was not able to do everything I wanted to do on my day off. But, while visiting a local eatery and enjoying a little traditional cuisine, I learned a thing or two about traditional soy sauce...

The soy sauce we eat in America (and much of the soy sauce in China) is commercially made and only takes a couple of days to produce. However, there are still traditional soy sauce plants that make an incredible product... Traditional soy sauce is smooth, not as salty, but still full of flavor.

It is made, of course, from soy beans. They are harvested and then boiled in large pots until the beans are soft. The softened beans are mixed with flour to make "soy cakes." The soy cakes bake in the sun for about a week and a half. They are ready for the fermentation pots when the cakes are fully molded. The molded soy cakes are then placed in large clay pots, many of which are several hundred years old, with metal lids and the mix is left to ferment in the sun. During fermentaion, the beans break down and the mixture begins to separate. The bean solids float to the top and the liquid below is soy sauce, used in traditional Chinese cuisine.

The process can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 months for a single batch of soy sauce, using this ancient method. This method produces a soy sauce that is more redish in color than the dark, almost black liquid we are more accustomed to.

Pin Trading

2008-08-06T22:20:00.005+08:00

Probably the most popular Olympic event that doesn't involve an athlete, although I'm sure athletes get in on it as well, is the collecting and trading of souvenir pins. Pins of all shapes and colors can be found...

There are more than just Olympic pins; but, of course, Olympic pins are the ones most sought after. Pin traders arrived and started setting up outside the security gates just a couple of days ago and now the crowds are building and the trading getting more fierce.

Icing On The Cake

2008-08-05T23:57:00.005+08:00

It has been a tremendous honor to come to Beijing and cook for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Being able to attend an event is a bonus; being able to attend 3 events is icing on the cake. These are my tickets...

I'll be attending a Track & Field event (including 6 gold medal rounds, and 3 non medal rounds), beach volleyball (including 2 men's medal matches and a medal ceremony), and shooting (including 2 qualification rounds, 2 final rounds, and 2 medal ceremonies). In short, with these 3 tickets, I will get to see 15 Olympic events, including 9 gold medal events and medal ceremonies.

This takes an already awesome experience and makes it incredible and almost unbelievable. I can't wait to attend these events. I'll be sure to post pictures and some video...

Broadcasters From Around the World

2008-08-05T11:45:00.003+08:00

Broadcasters from more than 200 countries are now in the building and have started shooting film and broadcasting in the respective countries... More than 30,000 broadcasters and crewmen are working from approximately 80 broadcast stations set up all around the International Broadcast Center. Most of the broadcasters have begun decorating the doors of their stations, showing their own patriotism and national pride. Here are just a few that I pass by everyday...

The NBC station for the United States is the largest in IBC, but is highly guarded, with it's own passes to gain access... So no pictures or access, yet.

Olympic Park Night Time - Part 2

2008-08-04T09:48:00.004+08:00

I've posted night time pictures of part of Olympic Park earlier. But I just got these pictures from James, a Chef from Australia. He has a nice SLR camera that takes much better night shots than mine. So here's a second look at night time at Olympic Park with more clarity...

The Bird's Nest...
The Olympic Rings on the top of Olympic Tower...
The Aqua Cube...
The Dragon Hotel, across the street from the Aqua Cube...

The Things You Can Do With Fruit

2008-08-03T09:51:00.002+08:00

It is amazing to see the things you can do with food. One of my Chinese cooking students, Cheng Hui, did this fruit carving as a demonstration. The Chinese invented this art and it is being adopted all over the world. I hope to learn more and bring it back home.

IBC - A Modern Tower of Babel

2008-08-02T09:41:00.002+08:00

The International Braodcast Center now resembles a modern-day Tower of Babel. In the Bible, a tower was built in an attempt to reach heaven. As a consequence, God "confounded the languages" of all the people there. The variety of languages has become evident at IBC. One can stand in one spot at Main Dining and listen to Brazilians, Chinese, French, Spanish, Germans, Iranians, Malaysians, Japanese, and many, many more - more than 200 nations (and languages) represented - all at one time.

Even listening to English is an adventure. There are Americans, but there are Australians, English, Scotish, Irish, South African, and others, all having their own, unique accents and vocabulary.

This is an amazing, world-class experience...

Let The Games Begin

2008-08-01T09:52:00.004+08:00

Lines double as we enter the final week before the opening ceremony. We have gone from feeding 5,000 to over 10,000, over night. Broadcasters have spent the past weeks setting up their stations and getting ready, but have been able to enjoy evenings seeing Beijing. Most broadcasters go on the air today and begin shooting around-the-clock...

Fine dining is open. It is more like a bistro, serving limited alcoholic beverages, an upscale menu made to order, and table-side service...

Before and After - Then and Now

2008-07-31T17:23:00.003+08:00

Before the broadcasters started arriving at Olympic Park, when we were only feeding the IBC staff (approximately 300-400 people per day), the coolers remained empty... Pictured here is the storage cooler for fresh produce...

Of course, that wouldn't last forever... Now the coolers are stocked... Pictured here is the storage cooler for fresh produce...

When the Olympic Catering Project started, at the International Broadcast Center, we were receiving a few hundred cases a week; now, we are receiving more than 2,000 cases each day.

Some Yummy Chinese Treats

2008-07-30T09:47:00.002+08:00

Introducing Chinese dragon fruit. It looks funny, but makes for a beautiful garnish to dress up a plate...
The white 'meat' of the fruit is the same texture as watermelon and has a similar taste.
Fruit, of course, is not only for eating. The Chinese are known for their beautiful and elaborate fruit carvings. While not elaborate per se, this bird was carved from a single apple in less than 5 minutes by a student...
Probably my favorite Chinese treat so far - Peking duck... The traditional way to eat peking duck is in a small wrap, similar to a crepe, with fried leeks and a sweet soy bean sauce... simply delicious.

Beijing's Air Quality

2008-07-29T10:02:00.005+08:00

There has been a lot of controversy about the air quality in Beijing for the Olympics... There are those who argue that the pollution has not improved and there continues to be a health risk for athletes while others report that the quality of the air in Beijing is vastly improved and clean-up measures by the city will guarantee a safe environment for athletes and spectators.

As for myself... I take no sides on the issue. I can neither confirm nor deny either side of the argument. The games are only 10 days away; only time will tell.

Lining Up For Good Food

2008-07-28T09:46:00.003+08:00

We are currently feeding more than 5,000 each day at the International Broadcast Center.

We do our best to serve traditional Chinese food along with delicious selections from other parts of the world...

A Truly Global Experience

2008-07-27T09:50:00.003+08:00

I looked around the dining service office in the International Broadcast Center today and observed the diversity of this project. There were, in one room, individuals from the United States and China, of course; but, there were also individuals from Australia, Belgium, England, Scotland, Ireland, Turkey, Malaysia, and India.

Aramark, the managed services company providing food and dining services for the 2008 Olympic Games (and my regular employer) currently operates in 19 countries; there are repersentatvies from every country working at these games, adding to my cultural experience...

The Wok

2008-07-26T12:14:00.004+08:00

Probably the most important piece of equipment in a Chinese kitchen is the wok. While coming in a variety of sizes, its shape makes it easier to prepare a large amount of food in a short period of time, making it at critical section in any Olympic kitchen in Beijing. Everything from meats to pasta is prepared in the wok, not just the traditionally thought-of stir fry. It takes skill and experience to use commercial woks, and they can be dangerous. Hot oil and a torch-type burner beneath open up the possibility of serious burns. Fortunately, safety is paramount in this Olympic project and there have been no injuries...

Before the woks can by used they must be tempered and prepared. This is done by heating every section of the wok over the burner until it gets red hot. This is done several times and in sections in order to prepared the metal as well as burn off any impurities. The final step is to completly coat the wok with oil (vegetable oil) and cook it off. At that point, it is ready to be used.

Learning A Little Tai-Chi

2008-07-25T10:14:00.003+08:00

While enjoying a much needed day off, I visited the historic Beijing Hutongs - the original homes of military and civil officers from 2 dynasties. I paid the extra money for a translated/guided tour of the neighborhood via rickshaw, and it was well worth the extra price.

Here, I am getting my first and only mini-lesson in Tai-Chi. Yes, I felt a little silly making the various poses...

While on the tour of the Hutongs, the rickshaw driver favored me with a small taste of Chinese opera...

My Visit With Claudio

2008-07-24T10:38:00.002+08:00

During a minor emergency at IBC last night (can't elaborate more due to safety and security of Olympic Park) resulting in an evactuation of the building, I ran into a guy with flags of Brazil all over his shirt and vest and had to ask him, in Portuguese of course, if he was from Brazil... He said he was and asked if were from Brazil as well. He was impressed with my Portuguese when I told him I was from the US but lived in Brazil a couple of years. When he asked where I lived in Brazil he was excited when I said Sao Paulo. The man, Claudio, is also from Sao Paulo; in fact, he is from Ipiranga, which is the second area I lived. We spent about 20 minutes of the evacuation talking about familiar places in Sao Paulo around Ipiranga - Liberdade, Museu Ipiranga, Praca da Se, Morumbi, and others. It was a wonderful visit and could only happen at a place like Olympic Park - a truly global place...

Gearing up for 24-Hour Service

2008-07-23T13:08:00.003+08:00

The International Broadcast Center is getting ready for 24-hour food service operations beginning this Friday. With broadcasters from more than 200 countries in China or soon to arrive, there will be some kind of activity all day and all night. Considering broadcast times around the world, NBC, for example, will probably broadcast in the middle of the night - day time in the US. Many will be hungry when they complete their shift and we will be on hand to fulfill that need...

Great News for Diabetics!!!!

2008-07-22T21:04:00.004+08:00

Well, as you might imagine from the title of this post, I am diabetic; found out a little more than a year ago. Diabetes runs all throughout my family - older brother has it, younger sister has it, father died from it, grandmother died from it, uncles and aunt with it, and the list goes on. I was fortunate to have been diagnosed early; currently, I'm asymptomatic, meaning I present no symptoms, other than above normal blood sugar. My doctor prescribed a series of oral medications, diet, and exercise in order to control my blood sugar and thus delay the onset of symptoms and unrepairable damage. I have done a fair job up to this point, following the advice of my doctor; then I came to China.

Rice is the staple of the Chinese diet - rice for breakfast, rice for lunch, and rice for dinner. So much starch would be bad for a diabetic. But, coupled with regular exercise, many diabetics can enjoy a little more starch in their diet. I have found that to be true for me. Let me be the first to advertise this point - for many diabetics (this is, of course, not true for everyone), the more you exercise the more likely you are to reduce your meds, lower your blood sugar, and perhaps change the diagnosis...

The kitchen in the International Broadcast Center is exactly 300 meters from Staff Dining; Main Dining is another floor up and Fine Dining is another floor up from there. I have to make that hike several times per shift, resulting in more than 12 miles of regualr walking per day, sometimes at a pretty quick pace...

The amazing thing about all of this, and the good news at least for me as a diabetic is that I have enjoyed a lot more starch in my diet (I love rice and pasta) but have lowered my blood sugar to well within normal limits, even too low sometimes. I don't know what this will mean for my next visit with my doctor (I see him as soon as I get back) but I think it will be good.

HACCP and the Hygiene Bureau

2008-07-21T22:32:00.002+08:00

There is a team of HACCP inspectors, repersenting the Beijing Hygiene Bureau, at every venue, ensuring that the food prepared at every meal is safe...

HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points. It refers to the various stages of food production, from receiving to reheating. Following HACCP standards simply requires that cold food be kept cold and hot foot be kept hot. The HACCP team is on location in the venue all day long, at every meal period, taking temperatures and samples of every dish. Their function is to ensure that no dish is tainted with chemical, physical, or biological hazards. They are an important part of the team.

"One World - One Dream" - ONE TEAM

2008-07-20T21:53:00.003+08:00

The motto of the 29th Olympic Games is "One World - One Dream." In food service we have modified it to simply "One Team." That motto is now becoming more and more important.

We have had and continue to have challenges providing global, world-class cuisine to our customers. The biggest reason for this is the availability of product. We only receive approximately 25% - 35% of the product ordered each day. The reasons for this are too numerous to mention here... It's just a fact and the nature of business for us right now. We (the chefs at the International Broadcast Center) met together as a culinary team to ensure that we work together as one team and not as a Western group and an Eastern group. We have not had any issues in this regard, but a preemptive meeting was necessary to avoid the potential of an issue; everyone has grown increasingly frustrated at the limited availability of product... Culinary creativity and working together as one team will see us through to a successful end...

Someone Left the Lights On

2008-07-19T21:47:00.002+08:00

The night lights at Olympic Park have been drawing crowds by the hundreds, even thousands. Roads are congested with people and cameras, getting an advance peak at the main venues on the Park - the Bird's Nest and the Aqua Cube. The Olympic Tower is pretty impressive at night as well... This isn't the best night time photography in the world, but enjoy the look at the lights...

Athlete's Village

2008-07-18T20:56:00.002+08:00

While out and about on Olympic Park, I visited Athlete's Village, home to more than 20,000 athletes from all over the world for their three weeks of competition... Below are some of the accomodations afforded them.

Chinese Spare Ribs

2008-07-17T21:05:00.004+08:00

Prepared a wonderful dish for dinner this evening - Chinese Spare Ribs. It is a day-long process, but well worth the effort.

Start with the ribs, cut into 2 rib sections. Prepare a boiling liquid for the ribs in a stock pot, using water, garlic, ginger, green onions, cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves, and sichuan peppers. Add the ribs and cover; let it come to a slow boil and simmer for several hours, just until the meat is ready to pull away from the bones... Remove the ribs from the liquid and set aside; strain the solid particles from the liquid and return it to high heat until it comes to a boil. Stir in a corn starch slurrry until you're left with a glaze. Pour the glaze over the ribs and bake in the oven another half-hour to 45 minutes. Serve with your favorite rice and vegetables.

Yummy!!!!

A Beautiful Day for Pictures

2008-07-16T17:25:00.003+08:00

It was a beautiful, sunny day - a great day for pictures around Olympic Park. I thought I would share a few...

This is the Olympic Tower, located in the plaza next to the Bird's Nest (National Stadium)...

This is me in front of the Bird's Nest (National Stadium)...

The Bird's Nest from the 'A' entrance side (entrances are from A to M)...

Three buildings pictured here. The Olympic Aqua Cube is the building in the foreground; the National Indoor Stadium is in the center; the International Broadcast Center (where I work) is the building in the background... The Bird's Nest is across the street...

Here is a taste of old China meeting new China... A replica of a Chinese Hutong (1,000 year old residential center) in the foreground with the Bird's Nest in the background...

Preparations Continue at Olympic Park

2008-07-15T16:40:00.005+08:00

Shops are starting to open at the International Broadcast Center and at other venues around Olympic Park. Here is Bank of China, the offical bank of the 2008 Summer Olympics...

Right outside the front door of Main Dining at IBC is a row of sponsor shops - Kodak, Addidas, Samsung, Bank of China, and others...

Coca-Cola, another official sponsor of the Olympics, appears on signage and billboards all around Olympic Park...

I took a fun moment at one of the broadcast desks for CCTV, from China...

Here's a snap shot of part of Olympic Park...

A Few Questions Answered

2008-07-14T21:18:00.004+08:00

Recently, I have received several questions from family, friends, and fans. Now is a good time to answer a few of them...

Q. What kind of food is being prepared at IBC?
A. The International Broadcast Center will house the TV broadcast stations from more than 200 countries. It is a very large building, as one can imagine, with several food venues. We prepare a variety of dishes at each meal from all over the world. We prepare several varieties of pizza, several pastas with a variety of sauces, several Mediterranian skewers, a large variety of grilled sausages, a vast assortment of salads, paninis and other sandwiches and wraps, several different western dishes (like mashed potatoes, grilled chicken, French toast, beef stew, and so much more), as well as traditional Chinese food. We serve quick snacks in several coffee shops and kiosks as well as operate an 80-seat exclusive fine dining restaurant.

Q. Are there concerns about tainted product?
A. I have never seen safety and security so strictly enforced as I have here at Olympic Park. There is a broad food safety organization who inspects every case of food that comes into the Park. Rest assured, every morsel of food served to broadcasters, journalists, athletes, and guests is among the safest in the world.

Q. Is the food in China different from the Chinese food available in America?
A. Yes, I would say that traditional Chinese is different than the American version available at so many buffets in the US. I am surprised at the amount of oil, cinnamon, star anise, and cloves that are used here. We use a lot more Chinese red wine, hoisin sauce, and oyster sauce, and surprisingly very little soy sauce. Rice, the staple of every Chinese meal, is very starchy short grain rice, available but not typically used in America.

Q. How is housing for the food service staff?
A. There are more than 6,000 people that make up the working crew of the various culinary departments throughout the Park. They come from 22 tourism and culinary schools all around China. I know their housing is a bus ride away and their transportation is arranged for them, but I don't know about the quality of their accomodations. The 230 international managers assigned to Olympic Park have housing in two different locations in Beijing. I have an apartment at the Somerset, Zhong Guan Cun, in the Haidian District of Beijing. The property is run by Ascott International, who has locations all over the world and caters to traveling executives. The accomodations are very nice according to anyone's standards. I live in a fully furnished 2 bedroom apartment - with living room, dining room, kitchen, 2 bathrooms, and an office - and share the apartment with Bruce Wessley from Iowa. We rarely see each other becuase of different work schedules. The apartment has wood floors in the bedrooms and office and marble floors throughout the remainder. There is an indoor pool, weight room, and spa on the property. It is walking distance from a shopping mall, an electronics mall, and a corner market as well as dozens of restaurants and is only a 15-minute taxi ride from Olympic Park, on a good day.

I hope this answers at least some questions. Send me more and I will do my best to tell you what you want to know...

Getting Ready For The Party

2008-07-13T22:22:00.002+08:00

Broadcasters started today to arrive and move into the International Broadcast Center in mass. We have been feeding a little over 3,000 and that number is expected to grow daily until it reaches around 18,000. With only 25 days left before the opening ceremony and only 17 days of games, the next few weeks will be busy, fast-paced, and a definite adrenaline rush.

A Sneak Peek At An Olympic Venue

2008-07-12T21:30:00.006+08:00

Of course, there are many Olympic events at venues all over China. At Olympic Park alone, there is a square mile or more of Olympic venues that will house a variety of competitions. The International Broadcast Center will be the home of Olympic Fencing. Today, Fencing Hall turned on the lights for its first practice session. Don't know if the athletes in this video are Olympic athletes.

Bibles to be Available During the Olympics

2008-07-11T21:36:00.003+08:00

China is predominantly an athiest country. There are some who practice other religions, but for the most part each person I have talked with seems to "believe in himself/herself." There is a belief in a supreme being or higher power, but that is as far as it goes for most. Though the country is Communist, there is expected to be an unprecedented allowance and tolerance for "western" freedoms, like the freedom of religion. While less than 1% of the country is Christian, the government has consented to allowing the distribution of Bibles during the Olympic Games. Here is an article that was emailed to me today about the subject:

"Athletes, officials, spectators and tourists can pick up the Bible or just the New Testament for free during the Olympic Games next month.

Tens of thousands of copies of the Bible, the New Testament and booklets with just the four Gospels (according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) have been printed for the purpose, say officials of China's Christian society.

News of the printing of the Scriptures should put pay to rumors started by overseas agencies saying the Chinese authorities would not make the Bible available at the Games.

Rev Xu Xiaohong, an official of the Shanghai-based China Christian Council in charge of publishing, says 50,000 bilingual (Chinese and English) editions of the Gospel booklets had already been printed by June. They are on way to six cities hosting the Olympic events in the mainland.

As has been the practice at earlier Games, the Gospel booklets will be available mainly in churches and the Olympic Village in Beijing, and in Qingdao, Shanghai, Shenyang, Tianjin and Qinhuangdao, Xu says.

Places of worship for people of other religions too have been set up in the Olympic Village, Chen Guangyuan, president of the Islamic Association of China has said.

The cover of the Gospel booklet will have the Beijing Olympics logo. "This is especially significant (because) as far as I know, this is the first time an Olympics logo will be used on a religious booklet," Xu says. "The Olympic spirit and the spirit of living a 'purpose-driven life' that Christians believe in come together in the combination."

Nanjing-based Amity Printing Co, the country's major printer of the Bible, has printed the Gospel booklets. Its general manager Li Chunnong says 30,000 copies of the New Testament (Chinese-English bilingual edition) are being printed for free distribution during the Games.
The Beijing Christian Council has placed an order with Amity to reprint 10,000 copies of the bilingual Bible edition to be distributed in the Olympic Village, Li says.

Amity Printing is a joint venture of the country's Amity Foundation and the international United Bible Society.

"This is a major and exciting opportunity. We are privileged to be able to support the Church in China in the publishing of the Bible during the Olympics," says James Catford, chief executive of the Bible Society.

The society, however, has no plans to provide free copies of the Bible in hotels, according to Xu.
Churches in Beijing have been asked to provide people to man the Olympic Village chapel and hold services and prayers, says Liu Bainian, vice-president of the China Patriotic Catholic Association."

Broadcasters Begin to Arrive

2008-07-10T21:21:00.004+08:00

Broadcasters are now arriving from all over the world. It is interesting to witness meal times in the Main Dining area at the International Broadcast Center; you see the diversity of the globe and hear a variety of languages.

There are currently around 3,000 broadcasters, crews, support staff, and IBC staff being served each day. We expect that number to increase, almost daily, to around 10,000 within a week-and-a-half, when IBC goes to 24-hour service. By the time of the games we expect to be serving over 18,000.

As broadcasters arrive and start setting up their equipment, many are taking preliminary shots of Olympic Park for news stories. In the pictures seen here, three different Chinese stations take shots inside IBC.

Chinese Calligraphy

2008-07-09T15:29:00.005+08:00

Chinese calligraphy is a beautiful art and it amazes me to watch a calligrapher at work. Today, at the Silk Market, I ordered small signs printed with the names of everyone in my family in English and Chinese. In this video clip, the calligrapher writes Christian's name in Chinese and then in English...

Crazy Traffic in Beijing

2008-07-08T16:46:00.003+08:00

Beijing is a city of around 15 million people... The roads were not laid out, designed, or intended for everyone to have their own cars. It seems that city planners were expecting on Beijing citizens to rely on public transportation. With a new sense of freedom within the limits of Communism, Beijing citizens are seeing a growth of wealth and acquisition of personal property that is unprecedented in China. One expample of this can be seen in the number of cars on the raod at almost any time of day. Driving in Beijing is a personal challenge... There doesn't appear to be enforcement of traffic laws, assuming traffic laws exsist.

Just is case the picture doesn't give you a good idea of traffic in Beijing, check out this short video clip of a recent ride on a bus into work...

Time For A Break

2008-07-07T21:33:00.004+08:00

All around Beijing, during their lunch break, from around 11:30 to around 1:00 each day you will find Chinese workers who have just eaten find a place to curl up and take a nap... Work here goes on around the clock - 24-hours a day, especially at Olympic Park, in order to meet deadlines. I would be pretty tired and need a nap in the middle of the day if I worked that hard...

The International Broadcast Center - Also An Olympic Venue

2008-07-06T22:26:00.003+08:00

While it is true that the International Bradcast Center is the home of the world's TV broadcasters for the 29th Olympic Games, it is also one of many Olympic Venues... IBC will be the home of Olympic fencing... I took a walk around the building and just happened into the fencing arena and was able to snap a few pictures... Enjoy the preview...

IBC Finishing Touches

2008-07-05T21:14:00.004+08:00

Crews are now putting the finishing touches on the International Broadcast Center, which will be the home of the world's TV broadcasters for the next couple of months, during the Olympics and Paralympics. Crews are hanging banners from a barren ceiling and hanging murals from bare walls; its really making the place come alive...

The Olympics - A Multi-Cultural Event

2008-07-04T21:11:00.002+08:00

From 1989 to 1991, I lived in Sao Paulo, Brazil, as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I've always wanted to go back to Brazil, but the cost has been prohibitive. The next best thing has been little things ever since that has helped me stay connected with Brazil, like magazine subscriptions and audio recordings in Portuguese and Brazilian food...

Today, as more and more broadcasters start to arrive at Olympic Park from all over the world, I was fortunate enough to run into a crew from Rio de Janeiro - from TV Globo, a global satellite company based in Rio. We spent a few minutes talking about Brazil and sharing some food ideas... They wanted to know where to find churrasco (Brazilian BBQ) in Beijing; unfortunately, no such thing can be found here.

Anyway, it was a good visit and a good time to practice my Portuguese.

A Beautiful Day in Beijing

2008-07-03T23:11:00.004+08:00

Took a little time this afternoon to walk around Olympic Park and shoot a few pictures of the main venues - the Bird's Nest and the Aqua Cube. Enjoy...

Welcome to the Supermarket - How May I Help You?

2008-07-02T17:55:00.005+08:00

Today started as a beautiful, sunny day. However, just as I was leaving the apartment for today's adventures the thick mist of smog fell over Beijing. So, no pretty pictures of temples or palaces or gardens or parks. Instead, after a whirlwind tour of the city via subway, I thought I would introduce you all to the local supermarket - Carrefor. Enjoy...

Notice how customers handle the raw meat with their bare hands...

I'm not sure what all this is; some of it is quite good...

More handling of the raw meat with bare hands...

Raw fish, out in the open, unrefrigerated... YUCK!

My favorite place in the supermarket - the import section...

Fresh fish, very fresh fish (alive and still in tanks) can be cleaned while you wait. Although, I wouldn't call this very sanitary either. Notice how the live fish flops onto the floor and the worker picks it up and puts it back in his board, which is not cleaned between uses I might add...

I hope you all enjoyed this little walk through my local supermarket... Tune in next time for another exciting walk through unsanitary lane...

Llama Temple Beijing - Palace of Peace and Harmony

2008-07-01T18:51:00.006+08:00

I visited Beijing's Llama Temple today. Though it was a little misty and rainy, it was still a good day to visit the "lamasery." The temple features five large halls, each containing large statues of Buddah, and five large courtyards. There is also a large collection of Buddhist art, sculputres of Buddhist gods and demons, and Tibetan murals.

The temple was built in 1694 and was used to house eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty. In 1723 half of the Imperial Palace was converted to a "lamasery" - a monastery for Mongolian and Buddhist monks, as it remains today.

Photography of most of the sculptures, murals, and relics are forbidden... Out of respect for the temple and the religion practiced here, I only have photographs of building exteriors.

Rainy Day

2008-06-30T22:52:00.004+08:00

It is now Beijing's rainy season... It has rained here every evening (always in the evening, starting around 7pm) for the past several days. It keeps the days humid and it makes it very difficult to get a cab at the end of the day. Don't know why, but for some reason most taxi cabs quit running when it rains. Fortunately, there are some cabs running, but it takes a long time to wait for one. Annoying.

Future Summer Olympic Games

2008-06-29T21:13:00.002+08:00

While this year's Olympics is still more than a month away, planning has begun for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England.

Bids are in for the 2016 Summer Olympics, as well. Several countries have submitted bid applications, though not all were complete. Four host bids have been accepted: Chicago, USA; Madrid, Spain; Tokyo, Japan; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The International Olympic Committee will hold make the decision October 9, 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark

My vote is for Brazil... I lived in Sao Paulo for 2 years and would love the opportunity to return, especially as a chef.

Cost of Living in Beijing

2008-06-28T21:11:00.002+08:00

I've learned some things about the cost of living in Beijing. It seems a house in Beijing runs around 14,000 RMB per square meter (that's around $2,000 US pre square meter). However, housing outside the city is around 3,500 RMB per square meter (around $500 per square meter). This means a 2,000 square foot house would cost around $240,000 in Beijing and the same house would cost around $60,000).

To make matters even more difficult, the average annual income for a Chinese family is only 30,000 RMB (around $4,500 per year). This kind of money makes owning real property difficult, almost impossible for most...

Olympic Challenges

2008-06-28T09:20:00.004+08:00

What are the challenges we face providing the food service for the Olympics? In the case of these Olympic Games there are several... The first and most obvious - the language barrier. As a Western chef, I am here teaching Western food, methods, and techniques but I have no grasp of the Chinese language. Several of the Chinese cooks speak at least a little English, and that helps. I speak slowly and use broken, simple English, similar to their level of English. That coupled with a lot of demonstration seems to do the trick. If I need to give more complicated directions there are interpreters on hand.

Another major challenge right now is the availability of product. We are going through many levels of bureaucracy - customs approvals, Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games, federal government, local government... All the red tape has left our refrigerators empty and our cupboards bare. For example, we have absolutely no fresh or frozen vegetables and none will be available for another week or so. It appears that all of these levels of involvement in the supply chain were not ready for the volume of purchasing...

Now is the time to work out these issues... If this happens when the games start we could be in real trouble.

The Pollution - An Update

2008-06-27T09:18:00.004+08:00

While the Chinese government, the city of Beijing, and the Beijing Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games has worked together on a plan to vastly diminish the amount of pollution in the air in Beijing, it is apparent that nothing has been done yet. Just as an example:

This is a picture from the third floor of the International Broadcast Center. You can see the Olympic Tower and can faintly see the Olympic Stadium (the Bird's Nest), less than a block away, through the flag poles in the background. The Bird's Nest, as you can see, is veiled in fog and mist; that mist is the pollution in the air at around 4pm.

IBC Main Dining Opens Today

2008-06-25T21:53:00.005+08:00

The main dining area at the International Broadcast Center opened today.

This is me and Andy - don't know his Chinese name... It doesn't really matter anyway - he goes by Scotland. He just came back to China after graduating from a Culinary school in Scotland.

A couple of pictures of the serving lines in the main dining area:

This is me with Chef Ozzy (from Turkey) and Chef Dan (from Arizona):

These banners are flying in corridors all over Olympic Venues:

Just A Lazy Day

2008-06-24T16:40:00.005+08:00

Nothing went on today... and it was a good day. With everything I did over the past 3 days I wanted to spend this last day of my 4-day break just relaxing, getting ready for the upcoming work load. With the Olympics a little over 6 weeks away, (6 weeks from Friday) days off and time to relax will become more and more infrequent. Techinicians and camera crews from all over the world are arriving to get their boradcast stations set up and ready for the Games. The party is about to begin.

A Visit to the Summer Palace

2008-06-23T15:11:00.006+08:00

It was a beautiful morning in Beijing - just perfect for a visit to the historic Summer Palace. This is the place the royal family would go, as recent as the early 1900s, to escape the heat and humidity of the Forbidden City. The vast number of trees helps keep the Summer Palace cool, even in Beijing's summer heat.

Traditional Chinese music was being performed at the Grand Theater of the Palace.

Beware the Street Vendor

2008-06-22T13:28:00.004+08:00

Sanitation standards are certainly not the same in China as they are in the US. When traveling here, be careful when eating food from a street vendor; be careful eating food from a supermarket even. Meat, for example, is not generally kept under refrigeration. This short video clip, for example, shows snacks available at a street market - WaFungJing. Not to mention the selection of foods available (scorpions, chicken hearts, grubs, squids, and unknown meats) all of it sits out all day and none of it is refrigerated. Enjoy, at your own risk.

A Whirlwind Tour of Historic Beijing

2008-06-21T20:53:00.004+08:00

I visited many historic places around Beijing today, starting with Wal Mart.
After Wal Mart, I took a subway to Tien' anman Square and the Forbidden City to see the historic Royal Palace.
From the Forbidden City we walked to the Temple of Heaven. We took a wrong turn and ended up down an alley, witnessing some incredible poverty, in the middle of one of the wealthiest cities in China. This is definitely still a developing country.
Finally... We made it to the Temple of Heaven. This is the Hall of Prayer.
It was a great day... Lots of walking; we covered almost 15 miles today, on foot.

Beijing Public Transportation - the Adventure

2008-06-20T19:39:00.003+08:00

Public transportation in Beijing is an adventure all to itself. It seems as though traffic signals, painted lines, and speed limit signs are only suggestions. Taxi drivers, most of them anyway, drive as though they were the only ones on the road. In reality, there are 15 million people in Beijing, many with cars of their own. According to a recent National Geographic documentary on the the traffic problem in Beijing, the city never intended on having personal vehicles on the road and never designed a road system that would accomodate the vast number of vehicles. Of course, the number of vehicles on the road also contributes to the pollution problem. Beijing, according to the documentary, accounts for 20% of the vehicle fatalities in the world - all in one city. I believe the problem will only get worse.

Tightened Security

2008-06-18T15:44:00.003+08:00

Security at the Olympic Park and all around China has gotten and will continue to get tight in anticipation of this year's games - the largest Olympic Games in history. There is the threat of terrorist activity from Islamic extremists from Tibet. So much so that the government has ordered citizens indoors during the torch run, as the torch makes its way through China towards Beijing. As the torch enters a city, cars are prohibited from being on the roads, shops and businesses are closed, and people are encouraged to stay indoors and watch the torch relay from home. Many go out to witness the relay in person, but most comply with the orders of the government.

A Lesson From the Chinese

2008-06-17T17:20:00.003+08:00

One of the culinary students from Shanghai, Cheng Hui, has taught me an important lesson. Hui is on his way to a very bright career in culinary arts, but not before paying his dues. He knows the price to pay for success, respects the system, and is willing to follow it. He is ambitious but focused. Hui is dedicated to his art and wants to learn all he can. In his pursuit of excellence, and the lesson for me, is that he is patient and not only learns but masters one skill before moving on to another. That's the progressive learning that takes place in a Chinese culinary school - start with basic skills, master them, and then move on, building on those basic skills. His desire to master the culinary arts has taken him to pursue self-study, outside the classroom. He has mastered the art of oriental fruit carving by careful observation and practice. There's a lesson in that for everyone.

Beautiful Flowers in Beijing

2008-06-16T20:11:00.004+08:00

Enjoyed a day at the Beijing Flower Market. Beijing is a large city full of rich history, some of the richest history in all of Asia; but, as very large cities go, it is a dirty city. Not dirty from the position of morality, but rather literally dirty. The construction going on around town, the number of cars and busses on the road, and the factories in production all add to a terrible pollution problem. It was a breath of fresh air to find such beauty in the midst of dirty city.

A Trip to the Beijing Zoo

2008-06-15T19:45:00.004+08:00

Today, James Stack (a Chef from Australia) and I asked the Shanghai group to join us on a day trip to the Beijing Zoo. It was a very nice day for a visit to the zoo - not too hot, not too crowded (for Chinese standards), and most of the animals were out and about. It seemed as though half of the zoo were birds; very few apes, cats, etc. However, the highlight of the day was the Giant Panda House. It was magnificent.

The Great Wall of China

2008-06-14T21:08:00.003+08:00

Spent a wet and rainy day at the Great Wall of China, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. This section of Wall was built 1404 BC. It was a difficult 550 meter climb to reach the Wall, sometimes at an 80-degree incline. We hiked about 1 1/2 miles of the Wall; that, too, was a difficult climb. When the Wall was built soldiers used a variety of steps - depth, width, height. The view was incredible. The thought of the 3,500 years of history that took place on this very place was an incredible experience. It was an awesome day.

No Fresh Air

2008-06-13T17:37:00.003+08:00

The pollution today is so bad in Beijing that you can't see across the street. Everytime you inhale you suck in dust and dirt particles and you can feel each and every one. It gets trapped in your chest and you gag and cough and cough and cough and cough some more.

Such has been the past few days. And today really is a day in which one can not see across the street. The pollution resembles really dense fog, but you can tell when you inhale that this is not fog.

The government has a plan, though, to clean up the air quality before the games. One month before the games begin no personal cars will be allowed on the street, only public trasportation. Also, all construction projects will have to cease and factories will have to close. They are hoping that this will clean up the air quality. I am hoping the same thing, 'cause it's really bad.

Surprising Chinese Food

2008-06-12T21:16:00.003+08:00

There is a big surprise in Chinese food. Cumin and cilantro, staple ingredients in Latin food, are also prominent ingredients in a lot of Chinese food. Before coming to Beijing, I considered garlic, ginger, and soy sauce as Chinese staples. Well, come to find out, garlic, ginger, and soy sauce are certainly prominent. But, cumin, cilantro, sizchuan peppers, cloves, cinnamon, and star anise are just as widely used to add flavor to a variety of dishes. How these spices are used is a subject to be covered some other time.

Gearing Up For Show Time

2008-06-11T16:17:00.002+08:00

There are three main buildings with food services: the International Braodcast Center (IBC), Media Press Center (MPC), and Athlete's Village (AV). Currently, IBC is the only building open. There are 6 eating venues in the building, two of which are open. The main dining area opens in a couple of weeks and the staff is preparing for that opening. We are currnelty feeding about 1,000 people, mostly staff, but expect to be feeding as many as 18,000 within a month or so. That kind of volume requires a considerable amount of perpartation - menu planning, recipe development, practicing, etc. A rotating 8-cycle menu with food featured from all over the world will require a great amount of practice and preparation.

And the Staff Keeps Growing

2008-06-10T22:01:00.002+08:00

Another nine chefs arrived today at locations all around Olympic Park - three Executive Chefs and six Sous Chefs. Only a few are internationals while most of them are from China. This is still only a fraction of the management staff yet to arrive. In total, there will be about 700 managers, 230 of whom are internationals, all managing about 7,000 cooks, servers, and other food service workers. This is a world-class event staffed by a global team.

Week 2 begins

2008-06-09T16:29:00.002+08:00

This is the second of twelve weeks for me in China and what an awesome experience it's been so far. We're starting to gear up for the influx of media and athletes. Finish carpenters are putting the final touches on the main dining area in the International Broadcast Center. We take over the kitchen by the middle of this week and start cooking on the hot line. We won't be serving anyone out of that kitchen for several days. All of the cooking we will be doing from there will be simply to teaching the Chinese how to use Western equipment and teaching them the recipes and menu items from around the world.

In the IBC main dining we will be serving pizza, pastas, sandwiches, kabobs, salads; we will be preparing Italian, German, Indian, Mediterranian, and more. Within a few weeks, we will be serving thousands. So, we need to take the opportunity now to work everything out so that we get it right when it's show time.

Some Photos from the Orient

2008-06-08T16:35:00.009+08:00

Here are some of the pictures I've taken of my first week in China...
Sightseeing in Beijing:

My Kitchen:

My Apartment:

A Look at ancient China

2008-06-07T22:11:00.002+08:00

While people settled present-day Beijing as early as 1,000 BC, it wasn't until 1 October 1949 that the People's Republic of China emerged, after centuries of war and strife. The revered Chairman Mao Zedong struggled to overcome the effects of ancient fuedalism and colonialism to create a new China.

I spent the day visiting part of China's rich history. A was asked to accompany a group to Tianamen Square and the Forbidden City. An entire day was still not enough to soak in all of the history of this part of China's story. Tianamen Square was the chosen place for many royal ceremonies while the Forbidden City was the center of China's government and home of centuries of China's royal family.

The most significant aspect of today was the events surrounding my tour of the Square. I manage several cooks from culinary schools throughout China. A group of six cooks from Shanghai extended the invitation for me to join them on their tour. This is significant because the Chinese rarely interact with Westerners. This was an expression of deep respect and honor.

The Chinese, according to their culture, live by guanxi - a belief in honor and respect according to status. They seek out the person or people of highest standing and try to draw closer to them by showering them with invitations and gifts. The fact that I was invited to accompany them on this excursion was a mark of guanxi and I feel deeply honored.

A Day At A Beijing Hospital

2008-06-06T16:44:00.002+08:00

This morning was interesting, to say the least. In order to work in food service in China, one must have a license - a kind of Chinese health permit. So I had to go to one of many local health clinics in Beijing for my health permit physical exam. Blood sample, stool sample, chest x-ray, and more in an ironically less-than-steril environment. I'll have to go back for a renewal in 2 months.

I work with some great chefs - some of the best in China as well as world-class talent from other parts of the world. I work directly under Dan Noonan who works at a resort on Northern Arizona's Lake Powell. We have become really good friends, as we have been able to spend time talking about familiar places around Lake Powell (me and my family spent 5 years in St George - southern Utah).

This is the beauty of working the Olympic Games. The opportunity to soak in the rich cultural diversity of this planet is available no where else like it is at the Olympics. More than 200 countries will come to Beijing, partaking of China's rich history, but also sharing part of their own. The culinary staff is just as diverse as the athletes of the games. I am truly honored to have this opportunity.

A Typical Day

2008-06-05T18:01:00.002+08:00

Days at the Olympic Park start around 6 am and end around 4 pm. In a couple of weeks food service will run 24 hours per day. Currently, we only feed the staff (about 1,000 people) and only feed them breakfast and lunch.

The culinary staff is divided into teams, representing food from all over the world - Mediterranian, Western, Chinese. I am working with the Western hot food section, preparing multiple entrees, starch, and vegetables from the United States. The challenge right now (and possibly going forward throughout the whole event) is to prepare and present global cuisine with Chinese ingredients. The availablility of ingredients and the quality of those ingredients is something that requires daily adjustments - but, that's the business we are in.

Soon, we will open additional venues - the Media Press Center and Athletes Village. Soon, we open 24 hours per day. The past several days and the next few days of preparation will start to pay off.

The Chinese prep cooks and line cooks are great to work with. They all come from cooking schools from all over China. They have a strong work ethic and are eager to learn. It is a chore to work with them all day long, though. It is much easier in the Chinese section because they are already familiar with the cuisine. As a western chef working in the western section, I spend most of my time teaching, training, and micro-managing the cooks; as one would expect, they have no experience with western cuisine and have to be taught methods, techniques, use of ingredients, presentation, etc. The language barrier makes it even greater challenge.

I like to teach; that adds to my daily job satisfaction and enjoyment of this project.

A Soft Opening

2008-06-04T17:01:00.003+08:00

In restaurant terms, food service for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games is going through what we would call a "soft opening." During a time when very few people need to be served the entire culinary team opens the kitchen. Since very few people are being served, the kitchen crew, with all of its support systems, can work out all the wrinkles before serving the larger, main group of customers expected to arrive. When a restaurant goes through a 'soft opening,' the staff generally serves employees and family while keeping the doors closed to general public. After a week or so of this they are ready to open to the public, with everything running smoothly.

In a manner of speaking, we are going through a 'soft opening' and gradually building the staff, a little each day, until next month, when most of the media will be in China and the athletes are expected to start arriving.

There are two main challenges facing the culinary team at this Olympic Games - the language barrier created by the multi-national/multi-linguistic staff and working with the Beijing Health Bureau in the kitchen during all hours of operation. Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done with either situation. I am making every effort to pick as much Chinese as I can, but fluency in a second language takes years.

As for working with the health inspectors... Well, that is a challenge. All we can do is our best to comply with their requests and try to educate them when their requests are unreasonable. Just yestarday we had to throw away alomst 100 pounds of frozen bread, beacause the original freezer case had be opened 4 days ago. Chinese standard for the Olympics is to discard all product on the third day ofter opening, in addition to discarding all leftovers. It is difficult to understand how we can discard clearly usable product with millions of people starving just a few miles away. However, I did not come here to get involved with political matters; I'm here simply to cook for athletes, trainers, broadcasters, journalists, etc.

2008-06-03T17:06:00.004+08:00

Preparations for the games continue. The International Broadcast Center is open and serving. The Media Press Center will open next week, or at least it is scheduled to open next week; that all depends on the completion of a few minor construction projects.

The construction that has gone on and continues for these Olympic Games is impressive and almost unbelievable. State-of-the-art high-rise apartments have been built for athletes and trainers and construction continues, with only a few weeks before athletes start arriving. The Chinese are working literally around the clock to get everything finished. They are working at a record-setting pace to prepare for an event that will set records.

The food for the games is very good. As one would imagine, it all has a Chinese flare, though food from all over the world is featured. We are offering traditional Chinese, Mediterranian, Western, Italian, French, and Latin, to name a few.

The food is being prepared by an army of Chinese culinary students and their teachers, with a team of international managers leading the crew. They are eager to learn and have a strong work ethic. They are very professional and do everything asked of them.

The language barrier is evident but managable. Those who have been here for a while (a month or so) have picked up enough Chinese to give directions to cab drivers and basic instructions to their Chinese student cooks. I look forward to at least that amount of language proficiency and hope it happens soon.

No Time For Rest

2008-06-02T12:27:00.003+08:00

I left Arkansas Saturday morning, May 31st and didn't arrive in China until Sunday afternoon, June 1st. The flight was long and uneventful. I thought I would be flying west; however, it seems that almost due north is the quickest and shortest way to Beijing from Arkansas. I left Little Rock and flew to Chicago. After changing planes and going through a customs and visa check I left Chicago and we flew north, crossing over Canada, passing within 150 miles of the North Pole, passing Siberia and a small part of Mongolia, before entering China.

My first impression of China is very positive. The people are very friendly and helpful. It seems they are already prepared for the influx of foriegn athletes, trainers, media, and spectators as they are very patient with the language barrier.

It will take some time to get used to the food. Nothing has made me sick, fortunately. However, rice and a noodle bowl (much like the Ramen noodles we eat in the US) at every meal, even breakfast, will take some adjusting. Likewise, the Chinese don't eat very much dairy or sweets; so, it will be a while before I get a good piece of chocolate or an ice cold glass of milk. These are things I have to look forward to when I return home.

My current assignment is the IBC (International Broadcast Center), serving broadcast media from all over the world. No media has arrived yet; we are only feeding staff and set-up crews. Most of the Olympic kitchens and venues are still under construction; it is a 24-hour-day 7-day-week endeavor to get everything ready for all the visitors expected to arrive within the next month or so. My work during this time will be to become familiar with the menu and recipes, the health inspectors of the Beijing Olympic Committee, all of the kitchens, and get settled in with the kitchen crew - and there's not much time to get it all done.

I am part of a very diverse management team, with culinarians from all over the world. Today, my first day, I have met chefs from several parts of the US, Canada, Australia, Turkey, Japan, Ireland, England, and, of course, China. This is truly a global experience - one I am very honored to participate in.

The Saga is About to Begin

2008-05-31T04:09:00.003+08:00

The adventure begins early tomorrow morning with a flight from Little Rock to Chicago then from Chicago to Beijing. I'm not looking forward to the travel; but, like a small child around Christmas time, I can't wait for all this to start.

In reality, this adventure began months ago with an application. Aramark, my employer and the company providing food service for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games (the 14th Olympics for Aramark), opened up the application process months ago. I applied, not really expecting to be chosen. I met all the qualifications but am only one of thousands of qualified chefs from all over the globe. I felt my chances were slim to none. I don't know what stood out on my application or resume but I was chosen.

The process since then, the past few months, has been a whirlwind of shopping, interviews, physical exams, US Embassy registration, the works.

Now, the shopping is finished, the passport and visa secured, plane tickets purchased, and bags are packed.

My only fear is the language barrier. I have lived outside the US before and am fluent in Portuguese because of the experience. Unfortunately, I speak absolutely no Chinese, and my efforts the past couple of months to learn at least a little have proven fruitless. This will be challenge leading a team of Chinese cooks. It will be intersting to see how this aspect of the experience unfolds.