Olympic Athletes Are Eating A Lot Of Food In Pyeongchang

Eating at the massive Olympic cafeteria is a sport in itself. The space has an 18-page menu and offers 450 different types of buffet foods, including Western, Korean, Halal, and kosher options as well as vegetarian and gluten-free options.

Almost 500 chefs and cooking assistants prepare about 18,000 meals a day. And they use a shocking about of raw ingredients each day, including 1,540 pounds of beef, 992 pounds of eggs, 440 pounds of bacon, 7,495 pounds of fruits and vegetables, about 15,000 pieces of bread and 800 pizzas. All of this is consumed in two massive dining rooms that are open 24/7.

The Olympians are staying at two athlete village houses, which house almost 3,000 athletes from 90 different countries, and accommodate all different diets. The Pyeongchang food team analyzed data from the past five Olympics. They worked with nutritionists from other countries to decide what to serve at Pyeongchang. The athletes especially love meat like steak and chicken breasts. Korean food has been unexpectedly popular among the athletes — according to the head chef. Most Olympians don’t eat outside the athlete villages because some of the ingredients might have steroids. In fact, in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the U.S. did tests on some local chicken and found it contained enough steroids for it to show up on test results. So athletes should probably stick to the village cuisine — not that it sounds like a burden at all.