NAGOYA - Athletes competing in the Asian Games will be served around 370 dishes ranging from Asian-style curries and chicken dishes to Nagoya specialties such as chicken wings and kishimen noodles, with menus also designed to accommodate religious and dietary requirements.
Preparations are progressing at Garden Pier in Nagoya Port, where container-style accommodation facilities are being set up for around 2,000 athletes.
The Athlete Plaza Dining Hall, where competitors will eat during the Games, was opened to the media on August 21.
During the competition period, buffet-style meals will be available from 5 a.m. until 1 a.m. the following day.
The menu will include around 370 items, including bread, naan, curry and chicken dishes, with many prepared using flavors from across Asia.
Organizers will also serve one type of Nagoya specialty each day to promote Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya.
The local dishes will include tebasaki chicken wings and kishimen flat noodles, as well as a version of Taiwan ramen made with soy meat instead of ground meat.
Chef Chad said local Nagoya chefs had been brought in to ensure the recipes and cooking methods were authentic.
Members of the Games' athletes committee, which includes former Olympians, were among those sampling the food.
Former Olympic swimmer Takeshi Matsuda praised the kishimen, saying, "It's delicious. The kishimen is delicious. You can really taste the dashi."
Food services are being handled by Australian company Global Hospitality Group.
GHG President Peter Wright said 90% of the food to be served will be halal and will be kept separate from other dishes prepared for Muslim athletes.
With athletes arriving from across Asia, organizers are also preparing vegan and vegetarian meals for those who do not eat meat or fish.
Wright said the aim was to recreate familiar foods for young athletes who may never have traveled outside their home countries so they would be less likely to feel homesick.
Chef Chad said the dining program would emphasize diversity while expressing the Games' slogan, "Imagine One Asia."
Source: CBC
