most US tap water is potable straight from the tap. This is an exception - in most of the world this is not the case. (though in nice hotels in places like China, etc, they usuaully have their own filtration system).
i got food poisoning in school (bronx science) so i dont blame them for not wanting to take the chance.
I don't know when the last time you were in China but you can plenty of western food anyway this isn't about getting the food prepared a certain way this is about bringing all of the ingredients. That strikes me as paranoia when this could easily be handled by sending a few US health inspectors to check out the food supply going to the athletes village ahead of time. Plus given the recent health scares with the US food supply, massive beef recall, its possible that the US food might not be that safe either. Personally I can't help feeling that a lot of these precautions are subtle digs at the Chinese. Athens has some pretty awful pollution and you didn't hear the as much bellyaching about that as you do Beijing. For that matter US athletes have competed in plenty of places with questionable food safety, Central and South America and Eastern Europe, yet this is the first time I've heard of them bringing in all their food en masse.
It may or may not be a dig at China, I don't know. However, isn't Yao opening a restaurant in Beijing by the time the Olympics roll around? They could just eat there all the time, or stay at a Hilton or something. Seriously though, packing food from the States is a bit of an overreaction, although perfectly legitimate if they feel the need to do it, but it's bound to offend the host nation, especially since a lot of Eastern cultures tend to take a lot of pride in their hospitality and are hypersensitive about anything that might be seen as a 'slight' to them. In many cases, the locals just want a chance to prove that they're gracious hosts and want a chance to put their best face forward to the rest of the world, and can see a move like this as an attempt to deny them the opportunity to prove that they're 'worthy'. Of course, I'm probably over-analyzing the whole situation, so ignore me...
The Olympics has always been a political wargame with seemingly wholesome rules attached. I guess that is considered an over-analyzation...
Yes of course because I am a Y-O-F who thinks Yao should be traded to a team that really appreciates him and also I think the PRC has complete and absolute right to Taiwan, Tibet and while we're at it Vietnam and Korea.
Can you address though why there wasn't that much complaining regarding air pollution in Athens or why the US team didn't bother to bring all of their own food when they've competed in Mexico and other places with questionable food?
First off, you need to relax. You seem to be very worked up this evening. Take a deep break, man. Secondly, China's air pollution is much worse than Athens. It's a real tragedy how poor the air quality is over there, especially in Beijing. Health and food knowledge and cooking techniques have come a long way since when the olympics were in Mexico. I personally don't think Asian food is that good (although I like sushi!), so maybe they just want something else!
Oh yeah.. You wanna fight sissy boy! Naw just enjoying getting back into the hustle and bustle of the BBS after not being able to stop due to 80+ hour work weeks.
There was complaining about Athens - about the extreme heat as well as the air pollution. Athens' Smog May Be Hurdle for Olympic Athletes http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/science/07/30/olympic.air/index.html Do you interpret this as an intentional slight of the greeks too? Can you provide me a breakdown as to which countries the US, whoever that is, does and does not bring its own food too? And what food is brought? You are implying that in every single prior instance the US eats exclusively local food products. I find it hard to believe that in, say Athens in 2004, the US team exclusively ate food made solely in Greece. But you seeem to be implying that this is an unprecedented event. I find that hard to believe given the fact that nutrition has been an important part of modern atheletics for the last few decades. See also: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=aESPs6IgpTu8&refer=home You are telling me that if you are Sarah Groff's coach and this had happened- you'd be comfortable advising your other athletes to simply do what she did and it was a fluke thing? I've had nasty food and water borne illnesses in lots of countries - China, India, Turkey, among others. I'm not talking about regular case of the runs, I'm talking about basically you are literally relieving yourself 1 or more times hour. The thought of doing anything on those days, like sightseeing, etc, was out of the question. Trying to engage in a world-class athelteic event in that condition is untenable. I wouldn't hesitate to eat in china and have done so many times. If I had invested years and money into not being sick in china on a particular day, I would reconsider that decision.
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Apparently, people do get sick from food tainted by the illegal use of rubbish as fuel for cooking there. So lead laced roasted duck wouldn't be too surprising.
YOu do realize that Iron Chef is a Japanese and not Chinese show. Unless you're suggesting that Iron Chef should be an Olympic sport in which case I'm all for it.