With the Olympics in China this summer, the U.S. team is shipping over tons of food to feed its athletes, the New York Times reports.
When a caterer working for the United States Olympic Committee went to a supermarket in China last year, he encountered a piece of chicken — half of a breast — that measured 14 inches. “Enough to feed a family of eight,” said Frank Puleo, a caterer from Staten Island who has traveled to China to handle food-related issues.
“We had it tested and it was so full of steroids that we never could have given it to athletes. They all would have tested positive.”
This isn’t the case of the Ugly American, afraid of foreign cultures. “Once athletes are finished competing, they are free — encouraged, even — to sample the local fare,” the article says. “That could mean munching on live sea horses or hard-boiled fertilized duck eggs — though steering clear of adulterated chicken breasts.”
Athletes, though, have strict dietary needs and throw in the fear of food laced with steroids and it’s easy to see why the U.S. Olympic Committee will ship 25,000 pounds of lean protein to Beijing. For the first time at an Olympics, the U.S. will have its own kitchens serving up three squares a day. With most Olympic jocks in their teens or twenties, expect many to bring in a supply of Twinkies for when they get the munchies. –Jim Buzinski
With the Olympics in China this summer, the U.S. team is shipping over tons of food to feed its athletes, the New York Times reports.
When a caterer working for the United States Olympic Committee went to a supermarket in China last year, he encountered a piece of chicken — half of a breast — that measured 14 inches. “Enough to feed a family of eight,” said Frank Puleo, a caterer from Staten Island who has traveled to China to handle food-related issues.
“We had it tested and it was so full of steroids that we never could have given it to athletes. They all would have tested positive.”
This isn’t the case of the Ugly American, afraid of foreign cultures. “Once athletes are finished competing, they are free — encouraged, even — to sample the local fare,” the article says. “That could mean munching on live sea horses or hard-boiled fertilized duck eggs — though steering clear of adulterated chicken breasts.”
Athletes, though, have strict dietary needs and throw in the fear of food laced with steroids and it’s easy to see why the U.S. Olympic Committee will ship 25,000 pounds of lean protein to Beijing. For the first time at an Olympics, the U.S. will have its own kitchens serving up three squares a day. With most Olympic jocks in their teens or twenties, expect many to bring in a supply of Twinkies for when they get the munchies. –Jim Buzinski
