4,000 kilos of kimchi supplied to Olympics

There is something that all Korean athletes who participate in games abroad never fail to pack. It is none other than the kimchi. It is packed along in hopes that its hot spices will provide a boost of energy during the games.

However, for the athletes attending the Sydney Olympic Games, not a single bottle or container of kimchi has been found in their baggage. It is not due to the changing taste of new-generation Koreans or that the host country has some regulation banning the food.

The reason is that the cafeterias at the Athletes Village have kimchi supplied by a Korean company. Not only in the Athletes Village, but also at the Main Press Center and through the city of Sydney, kimchi can be found rather easily.

Kimchi's status as a global food easily could be seen at the Games.

For the duration of the Olympics, 4,000 kilograms of kimchi has been made available for supply to the Athletes Villlage and the Main Press Center, enough for 3,000 people to eat on a daily basis during the games.

"The kimchi in the Athletes Village refrigerator is disappearing like hot cakes," a member of the Korean team entourage said.

Not only Koreans, Japanese and Chinese but also people from all over the world have come to enjoy kimchi. According to a chef at the Athletes Village, if a medal race for foods were held, it would be a neck-to-neck competition for the gold between kimchi and hamburgers. Also at the MPC cafeteria, kimchi, which costs A$4 (about 2,500 won), is selling like hot cakes.

"Cant' live without kimchi" soon might be on the lips of not only Asians, but also on the lips of people around the world.