How the Olympics Will Reflect London's Changing Food Scene

Does it matter that visitors to London’s Olympic Park this summer will mostly be guzzling Singapore Noodles, barbecue wings, burgers and burritos? News arriving last week that food offerings at London’s Olympics won’t be particularly British may come as a relief to some visitors. With a reputation for producing boring stodge, Britain’s international culinary renown remains modest, no matter how many cursing TV chefs and trans fat witch hunters we export. Perhaps recognizing this, London’s Olympic Games will offer spectators a distinctly familiar roster of dishes (bar the odd hog roast), distinguished from what’s available at the average airport mainly by even higher prices.

The Olympics have nonetheless made one admirable concession to local conditions, one that will help plough visitors’ cash back into the country. British producers will produce 55 percent of food served at the Olympic Park, with even McDonald's using 100 percent British farm assured Red Tractor chicken. Its meals might not be British in the narrowest sense of the word, but Olympic Park catering is so far living up to London 2012’s promise to create a relatively green, carbon footprint-conscious games season.