Pictures for Josh and Local Cuisine for Boobra

Random Pictures

On the left and right you will see a picture of Beijing National Stadium, aka The Bird's Nest (left background), where Opening Ceremonies will take place. On the right side of the picture is The Cube where I believe swimming will take place.

Both buildings are insane. When I first moved to Houston, I thought the Astrodome was massive and an impressive demonstration of a sport complex. Well the Bird's Nest seems like it is twice the size of the Astrodome and The Cube is actually illuminated and glows at night. Incredible is all I can say. I'll try and take better pictures this weekend.

Here is the boxing gym that was truly a pain in the rear to get unloaded and set up. The boxing team came in yesterday and they are the first American team to arrive in Beijing. I am pretty excited for the 9 guys who are set to compete. They have all been in Colorado since September. Boxing did something different this time around, brining the entire team together for a resident program, the first in over 20 years. For many of the guys on the team, it was their first time away from home and family for any extended period of time that wasn't for competition. And CO isn't the most diverse setting in the US, so it has been tough on them. But they are in China and ready to compete. I had dinner with one of the guys on the team tonight and all he kept saying was "gonna get that gold." He was pumped. His name is Deontay Wilder, great guy. About 6'5" and 200 pounds, jacked. But a gentle giant. He has a kid who is battling a rare disease (can't remember off the top of my head) and boxes in hopes of going pro to help pay for medical expenses. You'll probably hear his name and see his face a lot during the Games (he is one of the models for Ralph Lauren, a new sponsor). Also ate with another boxer, Luis Yanez. Normally rambunctous and gregarious, he was a lot more focused and quiet tonight. He had a run in with the coach before flying in and almost was taken off the team, and I think that really put a scare into him. But that scare has him focused soley on boxing now. I gave him a hug when I saw him and made sure to tell him I was glad he made it to China because he has earned it. Now he can take care of business.

As I mentioned before, one of my jobs in China will be to work at the training pool. Here we are looking at the water. Jay T Kearny dropped something and we were trying pick it up. The facility is great.

Local Cuisine

So far I have eaten McDonald's everyday. My stay in China is actually a sequel to Morgan Spurlock's documentary Super-Size Me. Not really, of course, at least about the movie, but I have eaten at the Golden Arches every morning so far. Why you ask? Well for several reasons.

1) Dining services here at BNU just opened tonight. First breakfast is tomorrow.

2) McDonald's is cheap. We have per diem, but it has to last 6 weeks. My breakfast of choice - pancakes, sausage, hashbrown, and coffee is less than 20 Rmb. That is a little more $3 American.

3) We have team meetings starting at 7:30 am. I am not a morning person, so I want to find the closest place possible that serves coffee and allows me to get that extra 5 minutes of sleep.

Thankfully, BNU is serving full meals tomorrow. And tonight's dinner was FANTASTIC. I have to give a shout out to Terri Moreman, Director of Food Services, Jacque Hamilton, Head Chef, and my boy Adam "AK 47" Korzun (who runs the menu) - they rocked it tonight. And the dining hall was swank.

Speaking of Jacque and Adam, they finally got me out to have some actual Chinese food, or as Speacial K puts it, some Shanhinese food because the culinary style hails from Shanghai. This was late last night and it was an adventure just getting there. My gal, Beth "B Pz" Porreca also joined us. First off, the taxi cab driver didn't know where the restaurant was even though we had someone who lives in Beijing write it out for us in Mandarin. The driver actually got out of his cab and asked other drivers for directions, then dropped us off at the wrong location.

After walking around for about 15 minutes, we finally found the establishment, which to our surprise, was a bit fancier than we had anticipated. We all walked in with shorts and flip flops and this joint looked like it required a lot more than a shirt and shoes for service. But our culinary heroes had a connect that got us in, so we were cool - until we saw the menu.

a) Apps were about 40 rmb and main dishes were about 150 to 700 rmb. I'm used to paying no more than 30 for a meal. Like I said, I am cheap.

b) The menu advertised things like pork and fish. But not just pork chops, ribs, fillets, but the entire animal. So pictures displayed fish and pig heads well roasted.

No matter, we had a connect and Special K was buying. But I was still concerned. I was starving after a long day of hauling boxes and equipment, setting up venues, and making snap decisions to resolve unforseen problems. And I wanted a lot of food that I knew would taste well. Shanghainese food didn't quite fit into that equation. But I had to try. I was moody, but my peeps were excited for something new so what the hell. I needed to be social.

Adam orders sweet and sour pork, house noodles, some type of bbq noodle plate, and dumplings. Everything was ok. Not my cup of tea, but ok. The funniest moment was me trying to eat a dumpling. As soon as I bit into the center, I heard it squish and watched out of the corner of my eye as some type of vinegar sauce went flying across the white clothed table, nearly scalding Jacque's eyes. It was hilarious. We were those stupid Americans.

In any case, I had my Chinese dinner. And now its back to American cuisine. Although neither amount to the Chinese Hooters I tried the other day. But that is a whole other story.