How delicious is the Hangzhou Asian Games?, [Eight Questions of the Asian Games] Jiangsu and Zhejiang Cuisine Leading the Asian Games | Dongpo Braised Pork | Food

Editor's note:

Heart to heart fusion, love for the future. The 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou will be unveiled on September 23rd. At the opening of the grand event, China News Network has launched the "Asian Games Eight Questions" series of planning, inviting you to participate in this "future" event together.

BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) - Dongpo Braised Pork, Sister Song's Fish Soup, Scallion Ribs, Beijing Scallion Fried Beef... All these dishes can be eaten in the athletes' restaurant of the Hangzhou Asian Games.

"Hangzhou is a food desert," a slightly humorous phrase has been widely circulated in the tourism industry. For this reason, the promotional slogans of Hangzhou subway carriages even remind locals to manage their emotions well for this evaluation.

When the Olympic flame of the Asian Games is about to be officially lit, in the name of food, Hangzhou needs to correct its name.

Six dishes made their debut at the Hangzhou Asian Games Village Athletes Restaurant. Photo by Guo Tianqi

What delicious foods can you eat?

On August 28th, the head of the Logistics Support Department of the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee introduced the latest situation of catering service preparation during the Asian Games. The organizing committee has developed a menu for athletes in the Asian Games Village that combines international perspectives and Zhejiang characteristics. Each sub village has completed the sub village menu based on the main village cuisine setting and actual preparation.

After the menu of the athletes' restaurant was determined, some of the dishes on display also took the lead in meeting the outside world: Dongpo Braised Pork, Sister Song's Fish Soup, fried beef with spring onion

At that time, Ding Jiong, the head of the Logistics Support Department of the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee, revealed that various facilities and equipment in the athlete's restaurant, front hall, and back kitchen were in place, and the internal decoration and atmosphere creation had been completed, fully meeting the conditions for dining.

It is reported that the Athletes Restaurant has one floor and a dining area of approximately 8400 square meters, with approximately 4200 seats. Hu Chuangang, Deputy Director of the Catering Service Center of the Hangzhou Asian Games Village Sports Management Center, introduced the operating hours of the Athletes Restaurant during the Games, stating, "We provide uninterrupted service for 20 hours from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. the next day."

Hangzhou Asian Games Village Athlete Restaurant. Photo by Guo Tianqi

The restaurant includes 5 dining areas: hot dining area, cold dining and room temperature dining area, beverage area, and designated dining area. Among them, the hot food area provides mainly Chinese cuisine, East Asian cuisine, South Asian and subcontinent cuisine, Arab and Middle Eastern cuisine, and European cuisine. The Chinese cuisine fully showcases the culinary culture of Zhejiang, incorporating some of the unique dishes of "Beautiful Zhejiang, Hundred Counties and Thousand Bowls".

After the official opening of the meal, the athlete's restaurant adopts a self-service mode, with hot dishes in a semi self-service mode, and room temperature and cold dishes, open stalls and beverages in a fully self-service mode. It is reported that the Athletes Restaurant will be open for service on September 9th.

How is the menu determined?

"We invited experts from various fields such as food safety, catering culture, higher education institutions, catering associations, and athlete representatives to form a judging panel based on the initial menu submitted by the athlete restaurant service provider. The menu was reviewed from multiple perspectives such as food safety, prevention and control of foodborne stimulants, catering culture, and food nutrition. The final version of the menu was generated and submitted to the Asian Olympic Council for review and approval." said Weng Xiao, Director of the Catering Department of the Logistics Support Department of the Hangzhou Organizing Committee for the Asian Games.

While adhering to the bottom line of food safety and foodborne stimulant prevention and control, the determined menu also strives to meet the different dietary habits and nutritional needs of athletes as much as possible. Yu Zhikun, the executive chef of the catering service provider for the Hangzhou Asian Games Athlete Village, said, "The cooking methods of Hangbang cuisine have basically been adjusted to meet the tastes of athletes." Although various spices cannot be used, after experimental adjustments, the dishes still basically restore the flavors of Hangbang cuisine and Zhejiang cuisine.

Hangzhou Asian Games Village Athlete Restaurant. Photo by Guo Tianqi

On August 28th, all long shelf life ingredients for athletes at the Hangzhou Asian Games were completed and stored in the warehouse. The relevant ingredients will be stored in a dedicated warehouse, distributed uniformly, and tested in batches. According to Zhang Bo, the executive leader of the Asian Games ingredient selection working group and a first level researcher at the Hangzhou Municipal Market Supervision Bureau, "the five high-risk ingredients in the specialized warehouse will be delivered to the athlete's restaurant in one athlete's village, five athlete sub villages, and three athlete reception restaurants." The athlete's long-life food mainly includes categories such as beef, lamb, and dairy products.

How thoughtful are the details?

As a traditional pastry in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, Dingsheng Cake with soft and glutinous taste is offered to athletes as a tea, which means good things. "I hope every athlete can achieve good results in the competition," said Weng Xiao.

The dish design process also showcases the host's ingenuity and dedication. It is understood that many recipes for athletes have been repeatedly improved, such as chicken which must have its bones removed, pepper which cannot be used, and lotus seeds which must have its heart removed... The entire menu not only reflects the rich diversity of Chinese cuisine but also ensures the safety of athletes.

According to media reports, a prompt will be placed above the dishes in the athlete's restaurant, displaying the names of the dishes while labeling their nutritional content, main ingredients, and allergens.

With diverse dish styles and full process food safety supervision, we believe that all participating athletes will be able to taste a unique flavor at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

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