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Have it your way . . .
From McDonald's to kimchi, the Olympic Village has it all
By Valerie Phillips
Deseret News food editor
Athletes at the Olympic Village can fuel the "fire within" 24 hours a day with an extensive chow-fest that offers a bit of something for every culture. Except for a few minor glitches here and there, supplying the food has gone according to plan, said Tim Hackworth of SYSCO Intermountain Food Services.
But there was one surprise — "Because of the mad-cow disease in Europe, the athletes from those countries are going through a lot of steaks and beef like crazy. They come over here and find they're able to get Certified Angus Beef (one of the Olympic sponsors)."
A typical day's breakfast includes made-to-order omelettes, scrambled eggs, a rice bowl with steamed fish, sausage patties, turkey links, bacon, hash browns, French toast, pancakes and hot cereal.
For lunch and dinner, athletes can choose from such items as Wild West Chili (a signature item made with Certified Angus Beef), chicken gumbo, pork-loin schnitzel, chicken piccata, ginger wasabi halibut, Asian bowl with spicy chicken, sticky rice, shrimp and vegetables, zucchini and yellow squash, egg noodles, penne pasta capresse with smoked mozzarella, sirloin steak, chicken breast, sausages, frankfurters, grilled tuna, Thai beef and Soba noodles with chicken. There's also kimchi, a marinated cabbage dish, a Korean staple. Or they can load up on a variety of sandwiches — a roast beef and watercress wrap, tuna salad on brioche, Italian sausage on a baguette or extra-dark pumpernickel bread. Finally, there's a baked-potato bar, a salad bar and a fruit bar.
To make sure the rice would please the Asian athletes, the same rice cookers employed in Nagano are being used in Utah, according to Joanne Jordan of Restaurant Associates, a division of the Compass Group that is SLOC's master caterer.
A huge wood-burning oven cranks out gourmet personal pizzas with such toppings as goat cheese, basil, salami, mushrooms and zucchini.
There's also a McDonald's on site, thanks to the company's Olympic sponsorship. McDonald's complements its usual menu of burgers and fries with a rotating selection of "New Tastes Menu" items, such as chicken fajitas.
Carbohydrate-rich pizza, pasta and rice are typical choices for athletes during competition. Carbohydrates are the preferred fuel of the body, said Connie Guttersen, a Culinary Institute of America nutrition instructor who was in Salt Lake City last week speaking at an event called "Winter Olympics: Eating to Win" sponsored by the James Beard Foundation.
"Fat burns in the flame of carbohydrate," said Guttersen. "In order to burn fat in any activity, you have to maintain the ability to burn carbohydrate. Within the first 10 to 15 minutes of any exercise, your body is burning primarily glucose in the muscle. That's why it doesn't feel good. Then after 15 to 30 minutes, the fuel system begins to change, and there's a message to release fat and carbohydrate."
So where do the Big Macs and fries fit in?
"I've noticed that not very many of the athletes are eating at the McDonald's so far," said Mary Brown, one of six dietetics students from Brigham Young University who are volunteering in the athletes' eateries. "But I think that's because they're eating what they need to compete. Everyone tells me, just wait until they're done with their competition; that's when you'll see everyone at McDonald's."
Brown and her fellow BYU dietetics students volunteered with hopes of learning more about sports nutrition and food services. But most of the time, they're doing mundane chores like wiping down the dining-hall tables and restocking items like Power Bars and Coca-Cola. The actual cooking and serving is done by Compass Group employees.
"A lot of it is basic labor, but it's been a ton of fun, and so interesting to be in this environment," said Kristina Gowen, who volunteers at the athletes' on-site cafe at the Park City Mountain Resort. "I snowboard a bit myself, so it's exciting to see the passion they have for it and watch their personalties."
The students have picked up on a few interesting quirks among the athletes. Power Bars (an Olympic sponsor) seem to be the No. 1 snack food.
"They go through Power Bars like nothing, and I was surprised that they actually drink a lot of soda pop," said Marisa Michael, who volunteers at Soldier Hollow's day lodge, where the athletes can get a hot meal. "Of course, the Coca-Cola products are free, so I don't know if they would go through it so fast otherwise."
Yoplait yogurt and Diamond nut snacks (both from Olympic sponsors) are also popular at the Provo Peaks Ice Arena, where dietetics student Jen Jacobson volunteers. As the assistant food-and-beverage manager, one responsibility is to keep the athletes' lounge well-stocked with these and other snacks, such as muffins, bagels and cream cheese and fresh fruit. "They hardly touch the oatmeal or muffins. They don't go for the whole fruit either," she said. "The apples and oranges are going rotten because people aren't touching them."
Jacobson has noticed that different countries prefer drinking water served at varying temperatures. The Chinese women wanted hot water to mix their own tea, European teams like it at room temperature and U.S. and Canadian teams prefer it cold.
"I try not to bug the athletes too much, because we see them right before game time, when they're focused and intense," she said. "But it's interesting to hear them talking afterwards."
At least two of the foreign athletes — biathlon competitors Petr Garabik and Ivan Masarik of the Czech Republic — have been happy with the food offerings. "It's very good; we like the chicken, fish," said Garabik. "And McDonald's," said Masarik. "We like the normal things."
Hackworth said that IOC members and those who are planning the next three Olympic Games are observing SYSCO's supply and security system to use as a future model.
"This is really a testament to the maturing food service in Utah, compared to when I came here 20 years ago," he said. "We've got great chefs here and some good upscale restaurants. We stock around 12,000 items, so there really weren't any ingredients they wanted that we couldn't get."
E-MAIL: vphillips@desnews.com
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February 20, 2002
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