Aerial photo taken on Jan. 19, 2021 shows the National Sliding Center in Yanqing District, Beijing, capital of China. Photo:Xinhua

Chinese hospitality will be fully enjoyed by global athletes at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics as the Games are providing 678 dishes to athletes from diverse cultural backgrounds with elements of the Chinese Lunar New Year and environmental protection highlighted to maximize the dietary experience of global athletes.

The menu, which has 678 dishes from 12 global regions, was released on Saturday by the China Central Television (CCTV) in a program together with the Beijing Organizing Committee.

The menu was designed to meet the different dietary needs of athletes while also taking into consideration religious diversity. According to the CCTV, vegetarian, halal and kosher meals will be available.

"It will satisfy the eating habits of athletes of different religious beliefs, providing thoughtful services to athletes from all over the world," Shen Qianfan, director of the Olympic Village Department of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games, told CCTV. "It's a reflection of Chinese hospitality," Shen said.

A total of 48 commonly used spices such as pepper and bay leaves will be left out of the meals to avoid false positives on doping tests, according to Yang Chen, chef of the Yanqing Village, one of three competition areas for the Winter Olympics.

By integrating cuisines from all over China, the menu will include famous local dishes varying from Sichuan and Hunan cuisines for their spicy flavor, to rather light Cantonese food, allowing global athletes to fully experience the Chinese cuisine.

As for environmental concerns, the restaurant will use biodegradable cutlery to create a green and environmentally friendly Winter Games, said the report.

In response to the need for the prevention of COVID-19, face masks, gloves, alcohol cotton pads and hand-washing disinfectants will be placed at the entrance and exit of the restaurant and at the food distribution area. 

Global Times