A feast fit for champs

Local dishes earn rave reviews from overseas athletes

For some foreign athletes, maintaining a strict diet in the run up to their events has become a challenge with the temptation of all the local Chinese delicacies being served up in the Olympic athlete's village.

American snowboarder Tessa Maud, a first-time Olympian, treated herself to one last big meal at the village cafeteria on Feb 12 before leaving Beijing to go back home.

The 18-year-old shared her menu on video platform TikTok－fried rice, Kung Pao Chicken, cauliflower florets, green scallion pancakes and sweets, as well as Peking Duck, which tasted "insane", according to Maud.

Maud has become an internet sensation in China after sharing a vlog in which she was moved to tears when a joyful Chinese volunteer said "Welcome to China" to her at the opening ceremony. The heartfelt moment also touched millions of netizens worldwide.

But more surprises were waiting.

The Chinese food culture in Beijing proved to be a totally new and enjoyable culinary experience for Maud. What to eat was a daily dilemma because for her "everything is so good".

She documented details of her life in Beijing with her cafeteria diaries being a particular highlight among viewers.

"I tried sweet and sour pork, pork dumplings, spicy tofu and Dandan noodles. Please tell me more things to try," she asked on TikTok, which was immediately followed with comments and suggestions of popular Chinese dishes for her to try.

Julia Marino, a compatriot of Maud, also surprised the world after admitting to have wolfed down around 200 dumplings during the Games as of Feb 6.

Marino, who took the silver medal in the women's snowboard slopestyle final, did not hesitate when speaking about her favorite food－dumplings.

"I've probably had like 200 dumplings since I've been here. Just so many dumplings. I get back from the mountain－dumplings. It's the only thing I feel like is consistently always good," she told NBC Chicago.

Likewise, snowboarder Jenise Spiteri, the only Olympian representing the European country of Malta is another big fan of Chinese food.

She has become known as the "red bean bun girl" in China after she was livestreamed globally taking a crushed bun out of her competition suit pocket, and then taking a big bite with a huge smile on her face during a break in her halfpipe qualifying run.

"I started eating them on the first day. And then for breakfast, lunch and dinner," Spiteri said in an interview with Chinese media.

However, surprisingly, little sesame balls turned out to be her favorite Chinese snack there. "You know the little sesame balls... deep fried, rolled with sesame seeds, chewy with red beans inside," she said. "I want to eat a hundred of those."

For her last meal in the Olympic Village, Spiteri didn't forget her buns. "Goodbye to the amazing workers who served our food every day," she said in a social media post, with a photo taken with canteen workers as she smiled, holding a red bean bun.