Beijing Boyce

p3wong scored tickets to yesterday’s China Open where we - and “we” almost seems accurate given the light crowd - saw Ana Ivanovic beat Alize Cornet after a scrappy second set went to tiebreaker. Far less enjoyable: the food and drink at the stadium.

We started at Element Fresh, where sandwiches (actually half-sandwiches) cost RMB20 per. With the bread anything but fresh, I decided to forgo the RMB20 coffee and take my cash elsewhere. I headed to Paris Baguette, spotted an RMB15 coffee on the menu, and joined a short lineup. Upon reaching the front, I sadly learned that no such beverage was to be had. That led me to a third venue, Peter Pan, where I saw the patron ahead of me order coffee and receive a tiny topless plastic cup of brown liquid.

At this point, I began to wonder why three food and beverage outfits would go to the time, expense and trouble of setting up booths at such an event only to provide products and/or services of a far lower level than one would expect at their establishments proper. I can understand a slight drop in quality given logistics, but this went beyond that. Frankly, if that half-sandwich were my first experience of Element Fresh, why would I go out of my way to visit the place again?

As I pondered this, relief beckoned in the distance - the smiling face of Colonel Sanders. I finally secured a coffee: small but piping hot, and in a cup with a top, for RMB5.5 at KFC. A taste test revealed it to be cheap, drinkable and reliable - exactly what I might expect and what would make me head to KFC first if I should ever see these four places lined up at an event again.