Preparing food for athletes is not easy

Preparing food for athletes is not easy

By Fitriyanti Djoni

JAKARTA (JP): Preparing food for athletes is different than
serving the general public. Food for sports people has to be
prepared according to strict standards set by both local and
international sports associations.

In Indonesia, problems surface because the country has 27
provinces, each with its own delicacy. To meet the demand of the
2,000 athletes participating in the ongoing National Games for
nutritious and delicious food is not an easy task.

Athletes from certain provinces may prefer meat dishes, but
people from different regions may not go for the sweet meat
dishes of Java. The Sumatran sports teams may object to such a
dish and ask whether it is a main meal or dessert.

Sulastri Aty Soepardan, manager of Nurmaya Sari Catering which
was appointed to provide food for the athletes by the National
Games Committee, admitted that her party could not possibly
satisfy the preferences of all team members from the 27
provinces.

"We have to serve 2,000 athletes, which means that we have to
prepare 6,000 portions for three meal times per day. The kitchen
staff starts every day at 2 a.m., while lunches are prepared as
early as 12 noon. We really work close to 24 hours a day on a
shift basis," she said while supervising her staff, who were busy
serving up lunches.

The Nurmaya Sari Catering service, which was also appointed to
prepare food for athletes during 13th National Games (PON), said
officials of every provincial sports team should inform their
team members that the menu is prepared according to instructions
from the Games committee.

"This food is checked by nutritionists on its nutritional
value, hygiene, quantity and quality," she said.

Sulastri also said that the athletes do not all eat at the
same time. Some of them ask for breakfast as early as 5 a.m. "We
have to serve them without complaint since some have to exercise
at 6 a.m. before their matches start.

"There is a sense of devotion and hope that they might be
successful. I regard them as my own children, especially the
young ones, who easily become homesick and long for their
parents, and especially their mothers' cooking."

"We prepare the food here according to the general standards.
We do not really prepare the food of one province alone. Take for
instance gulai daging kalio, this is food from Padang (West
Sumatra), but we do not use the amount of chili that province
does," said the youthful-looking grandmother.

Sulastri likes to talk to the athletes while they eat, asking
them what they think of the flavor. She especially asks those who
have not been to Jakarta before.

For the 14th National Sports Week, Sulastri recruited all her
family, including nieces, brothers and sisters-in-law, as well as
100 permanent employees and 50 part-timers. Profit is the least
of her concerns with her work for this year's PON.

Compared to other food the company prepares, the food for the
athletes is not prepared to suit people's tastes. It is wholesome
food, containing roughage, carbohydrates and protein. The menu
contains mostly of red meat and chicken, and other various
ingredients.

"Today we had empal (dry meat dish), tomorrow we will have
gulai daging bumbu pedas (spicy beef stew)," she said
elaborately.

Asked whether there had been any complaints about the food
served, Sulastri said "so far so good".

The ingredients are repeatedly checked for quality and
freshness before preparation. If athletes were to go down with an
upset stomach it could affect their performance.

Weight lifters, for instance, require larger servings than
regular athletes. The catering staff inquires discreetly about
what sports an athlete participates in.

"If athletes have complaints, they do not need to go to the
board. We will come up with an alternative, as long as requests
are kept within the rules and within our abilities. For instance,
athletes and official referees who might have forgotten their
food coupon do not need to fetch it from the hotel. They just
need to mention which team they belong to and the problem is
settled," she said simply.

"They are here to take up the challenging game of sports. We
do not hamper them with restricting rules. As long as everything
goes smoothly and they perform well, it is enough to make me feel
happy," she added.

The PON committee appointed two catering services, Nurmaya
Sari and Champa, to serve the athletes during this sports event,
the 14th PON. Nurmaya Sari catered from Sept. 7 through Sept. 14,
while Champa is catering from Sept. 15 to Sept. 20.

Eddy Pranowo, an employee in the dining hall of the Serba Guna
building, said that the athletes are usually quite polite. "If
they do have complaints, they should understand that we are only
following rules from the board. We are doing things for their own
good. If they'd prefer to eat something else, they should wait
until the PON games are over. If they come down with an upset
stomach after the Games it wouldn't matter so much," he said.

Bernike, a nutritionist, shared Eddy's opinion. "We have done
our best to serve highly nutritious food. We hope that our
efforts will strengthen the spirits of our athletes, so that they
will be successful," she said hopefully.

M. Rausky, a trainer with the Maluku team, commented on how
nutritious and varied the food was.

"It is quite tasty. It gives me the chance to taste food from
other regions. The food is also nutritious and clean," he said
while savoring a meal.

Anita, a softball player in the Central Kalimantan team, found
the food fairly tasty and sufficiently varied, although she
admitted she could not touch certain dishes.

"It is not about flavor. Maybe we are just not used to that
sort of food. Of course, we would prefer food from our region,"
she said.

Parlin, a West Nusa Tenggara weight lifter, told a different
story. In spite of the food's nutritional value, its cleanness
and variety, he said the meals for weight lifters could be
increased.

"Weight lifters like me need more food than regular athletes,
we must not collapse while performing," he explained.

"If the athletes are unhappy about the menu, they have to be
honest about it. They should not gripe about it behind our backs.
If the food was inferior, we food nutritionists would be the
first to know. We would be the first ones to go down with stomach
problems if the food was not prepared hygienically," Bernike
said.