To all of the 3 people who read these: sorry for my absence. Turns out being a professional skier, college student, and full-time eater is very time consuming. Fortunately, my ski season commenced in one of the most food-famous countries in the world and I’m finally back doing what I’m really passionate about: talking about food.
We started out strong with a breakfast buffet at Cordis Hotel in Beijing on our way to the mountains featuring the best watermelon I’ve ever had (a theme of the trip), bao buns, fried dough, and everything you could want from a breakfast buffet. Once we arrived at Prince Hotel in Zhangjiakou, our home for the week, we hit the Korean Barbecue place, which had some quality meats and ample sauces but the grill wasn’t hot enough for tender bites. Sorry, I don’t like chewing.
Honestly, the food left lots to be desired, most of this can be chalked up to western-centric offerings in our World Cup accommodations (Spaghetti Bolognese for breakfast), however, once we gave up on the provided food, we scored some goods. We headed to Genting hotel for some deliciously saucy bok choy, tender ribs (maybe a bit too fatty: karma for complaining about the Korean BBQ), and a lemon peach fried pork dish that was incredible, but probably not the best choice for an athlete. Or anyone who wants functioning arteries. Honorable mention to the Tanghulu place, tomatoes were a weird choice but loved the grapes.
Then it was finally time to compete, but I won’t bore you with the details of how my skiing went, who really cares about that? Let’s talk about the food in the cafeteria. Honestly, was it the best Chinese food I’ve ever had? No. Was it better than ski lodge food in the US? Probably. I had some pretty decent noodles and dumplings, a good wonton soup, and I appreciated the massive bowl of chili oil to add flavor. Solid 7/10. Cannot forget to mention HeyTea, a boba place that serves amazing tea that comprised a solid chunk of my diet for the week.
Then it was time to head to Beijing for our tourist time. We stumbled upon this hot pot place that had us feasting and a green ice cream that was NOT matcha flavored (flavor unclear). Unfortunately, it took us so long to navigate the massive city that our planned dinner restaurant was closed, so, starving and hangry with a couple drinks in us, we hit the closest restaurant. For having the audacity to get Mexican food in Beijing, we deserved what we got.
Overall, I want to say I’m sorry for my performance at the first World Cup of the season. My food critic performance, that is. Next time I will be more prepared and really give it my all to find the best food for y’all. Until I have the motivation to post again, see ya!
Zoe's World 