2012 Olympic Games in London

[NGalitzine]

By the way I am not procrastinating .....I can't move my house and I can't work from home ... As is the case with lots of people and businesses. They can't say ok let's move our warehouse shop cafe or whatever it is for a month. . Not everyone works in an office and can do all work online . That is a very sweeping statement and shows a complete lack of understanding .

You may not be able to move your work location but you have had years to plan on how to deal with transportation issues.

 

[HRHHermione]

You may not be able to move your work location but you have had years to plan on how to deal with transportation issues.

Which helps not at all, as the average citizen can't exactly decide to add more lanes to a road or allocate funds for better public transport.

 

[Tudur rose]

I don't think so because the British cuisine is internationally renowned to be horrible, so that did not exactly came as an insult, rather an objective observation...
OK, I'm french but I really think Paris was the best city: it has all the infrastructures and has an experience of that kind of events (remember the world cup?). BUT I'm happy we did not win because the Olympics are a lost of money (Greece is nearly on bankruptcy because of them) and Paris do not need that to attract tourists.
So GOOOD LUCK LONDON. Sans rancune!

Oh dear and now I just noticed this as someone saying our food is horrible .... What a narrow minded cliche . British food is fab. . Anyone who,says it isn't obviously hasn't experienced it ....

Does anyone think William will have Married Catherine by then will the Queen still be Monarch will the Duke be alive or so many questions!

Yes to all of these too. .....

I know several people in the Republic of Ireland and they were desperately hoping that London would fail to win the right to host the Games, much like they desperately hope for British athletes to fail. I happened to be listening to RTE radio when Andy Murray was playing in the semi final of the Australian Open and the presenter said "great news from Australia, Britain's Andy Murray has been knocked out of the Australian Open by Novak Djokovic. What a relief that is".

Seems odd that they would send the torch in Dublin given that's the case.

What a ridiculous thing to say ....Irish and scots are celts ....

 

[NGalitzine]

Oh dear and now I just noticed this as someone saying our food is horrible .... What a narrow minded cliche . British food is fab. . Anyone who,says it isn't obviously hasn't experienced it ....

Well they certainly haven't experienced London restaurants in the last 30 years.

 

[Pranter]

I'd eat at a Gordon Ramsey place (and many of those in the UK featured on one of his shows) anywhere anytime.


LaRae

 

[BeatrixFan]

Its not as if Londoners and businesses in London have not have had plenty of time to adjust to the fact that the Olympics were going to happen in London in the summer of 2012, and to make alternate plans for work and transportation. The venue locations have also been known for years. Many companies have made such plans, including allowing some to work from home or alternate locations. Those that have not thought about the Olympics and its impact on them have simply procrastinated.

Actually, we've not really had much advice. I'm self employed, I have to get to work off my own bat or I don't earn. So for those of us not under the umbrella of a big company, we're stuffed. But even those with companies had no idea about Games lanes until last week. In short, even if companies laid on taxis for people to get to work, the cars can't get through the city quickly. So again, we're down to relying on the tube...and back to square one! Believe me, there's been more than enough procrastination coming from City Hall on this one.

As to British food, for those coming to London - British cuisine is not only fantastic but we've also adopted hundreds of new cuisines and embraced them. I happen to know a fabulous Russian restaurant near London Zoo, there's Greek, Italian, French, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Australian, American ......well, you get the point. We have something for everyone food wise!

 

[Osipi]

I am hoping they give the honour of lighting the flame to Sir Steve Redgrave ( a 5 time Olympic gold medalist) if it goes to an athlete or perhaps to a disabled veteran of the Iraq/Afghanistan campaigns if they select a non-Olympian.
I don't think the Beckhams need more publicity, regardless of Davids contributions to getting the Games.

Good point. I wasn't aware that Sir Steve Redgrave was a 5 time Olympic gold medalist and to be honest, it sounds just as fitting for him to light the cauldron. He's been a part of the torch relay too (BBC News - Olympic torch: Sir Steve Redgrave rows with flame). Perhaps they'll have a relay inside of the Olympic Stadium where several people carry the torch around the stadium before the cauldron is lit and Beckham would be one of them. I'd also like to see perhaps a UK gold medalist from the 2012 London Paralympic team if not one of the Walking with the Wounded disabled vets or perhaps both.

We really won't know until the actual opening ceremony but its kind of fun to muse on just who the honor will be given to isn't it?

 

[EIIR]

I'm sure David Beckham will carry the torch at some stage in the few days leading up to the games. I think Sir Steve Redgrave will end up lighting the cauldron in the stadium, but they might decide to go for Beckham because he's so well-known around the world and did so much to help win the bid (and has been harshly left out of the GB football team).

When it comes to transport, I suspect many Londoners have either booked holidays to be out of London during the games, or will simply avoid public transport at certain times. The bank that I work for has huge offices in the City and they've put in place all sorts of plans to minimise problems, including amending working hours to avoid the peak travel times, arranging for staff to work in bank offices outside London if they commute in, among other things.

 

[Osipi]

As to British food, for those coming to London - British cuisine is not only fantastic but we've also adopted hundreds of new cuisines and embraced them. I happen to know a fabulous Russian restaurant near London Zoo, there's Greek, Italian, French, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Australian, American ......well, you get the point. We have something for everyone food wise!

If one really wants the taste that's known practically around the world, the largest McDonald's in the world will be on hand for all your Big Mac needs.

World's Largest McDonald's Coming To 2012 London Summer Olympics (PHOTOS)

 

[EIIR]

The IOC has McDonald's as one of its worldwide partners, which seems daft to me. That particular McDonalds is actually only a temporary structure and will be torn down after the games.

 

[Osipi]

The IOC has McDonald's as one of its worldwide partners, which seems daft to me. That particular McDonalds is actually only a temporary structure and will be torn down after the games.

Good! The structure and design of that building is totally horrendous to me.

 

[EIIR]

I agree, Osipi, it's an awful building. The London 2012 organising committee have been criticised very heavily by the British media for having a fast food joint as part of the Olympic Park. The problem the organisers have is that because McD's is an IOC partner, they had no choice in the matter.

 

[MichelleQ2]

As someone who was a teenager during the 84 Olympics in LA and experienced the Olympics first hand, I hope you have a wonderful Olympic games.

Everyone here was paranoid about all of the people and the traffic and the disparate locations of the venues and travelling back and forth and the tickets )or lack thereof). Los Angeles was not (and still isnt) a public transportation town) and there was hardly an "olympic village". All the worry ended up being for naught - mostly because so many natives left town. My family actually went on vacation the first week and came back the 2nd week - but it was an amazing time in the city. You dont need tickets to enjoy everything or to soak up the Olympic experience. Watching the marathon all through the city and just hanging out in Exposiiton park outside the coliseum. Athletes walking around with their medals taking pictures, pin trading, just soaking up the atmosphere. These athletes have trained their entire lives for success and acheivement - they are generally so appreciative and kind. And if you have an opportunity to go to any event - do it.... I went to the synchoronized swimming heats... was invited at the last minute; just go - it is truly an amazing experience. It was a really great time. I wish London a wonderful happy games!

 

[Grandma828]

I hope all residents of London will share the sights, sounds and flavors of the Olympics. Both good and not so good.

 

[NGalitzine]

I hope all residents of London will share the sights, sounds and flavors of the Olympics. Both good and not so good.

I hope so too. I was in Canada during the 2010 Winter Olympics and from the Torch Run through the Games the entire country seemed to get wrapped up in the Olympics and take pride in the Games, not an easy accomplishment in such a vast nation. I hope Britains will feel the same thing, although negativity seems to be a growing part of our national character unfortunately.

 

[Lumutqueen]

I am hoping they give the honour of lighting the flame to Sir Steve Redgrave ( a 5 time Olympic gold medalist) if it goes to an athlete or perhaps to a disabled veteran of the Iraq/Afghanistan campaigns if they select a non-Olympian.
I don't think the Beckhams need more publicity, regardless of Davids contributions to getting the Games.

I'm hoping an athlete from the 1948 Olympics is given the honour.

Oh dear and now I just noticed this as someone saying our food is horrible .... What a narrow minded cliche . British food is fab. . Anyone who,says it isn't obviously hasn't experienced it ....

I've tasted it, and it's nothing special. Whilst fish and chips are nice, give me a curry or a lovely bowl of pasta any day.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

I'm sure David Beckham will carry the torch at some stage in the few days leading up to the games. I think Sir Steve Redgrave will end up lighting the cauldron in the stadium, but they might decide to go for Beckham because he's so well-known around the world and did so much to help win the bid (and has been harshly left out of the GB football team).

I am glad he was left out, since when gets an olympic football team selected on celebrity status and not on merit? Beckham did not "deserve" a place in Team GB as a footballer (the level he has been playing on in recent years may level the Championship, 2nd league in Britain), and it was not his "right" to appear at London 2012 as an olympian just because he helped to push the bid. It would have been all about him, not about the team, with Beckham, who doesnt even live in the UK, its all about self-promotion. Its his nemesis that he never won a titel for GB or England and will never be a national hero like Sir Robson or Sir Charlton and might lose out on the knighthood he longs for so much.

Back to the Olymics
The torch continued its way yesterday via Ascot. Frankie Dettori jumped off a horse holding the torch.
Frankie Dettori carries Olympic torch | The Sun |Sport|Olympics

 

[Tudur rose]

Actually, we've not really had much advice. I'm self employed, I have to get to work off my own bat or I don't earn. So for those of us not under the umbrella of a big company, we're stuffed. But even those with companies had no idea about Games lanes until last week. In short, even if companies laid on taxis for people to get to work, the cars can't get through the city quickly. So again, we're down to relying on the tube...and back to square one! Believe me, there's been more than enough procrastination coming from City Hall on this one.

As to British food, for those coming to London - British cuisine is not only fantastic but we've also adopted hundreds of new cuisines and embraced them. I happen to know a fabulous Russian restaurant near London Zoo, there's Greek, Italian, French, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Australian, American ......well, you get the point. We have something for everyone food wise!

Are you thinking of the Russian tea house in primrose hill on regents park road . I LOVE that place .
Yes British food has had a massive revival in the past 10 years or so . People are more in touch with using local food and using new and revived ideas . Just think how fab our cheese is for example . And you're right adopting food from other cultures associated with British empire has evolved our cuisine over the centuries .

Which helps not at all, as the average citizen can't exactly decide to add more lanes to a road or allocate funds for better public transport.

My words exactly ..... What can I do about the bus route moving or the roads closing . Even the pedestrian crossing over the Cromwell road will close so I will have to walk even further round to get to earls court ........ I don't see how I can have done anything about that in the past 7 years .

 

[BeatrixFan]

Are you thinking of the Russian tea house in primrose hill on regents park road . I LOVE that place .
Yes British food has had a massive revival in the past 10 years or so . People are more in touch with using local food and using new and revived ideas . Just think how fab our cheese is for example . And you're right adopting food from other cultures associated with British empire has evolved our cuisine over the centuries .

Yes! Troika! It's fabulous, we went on the off chance and ended up getting a bit too happy on their frozen vodkas and dancing to an accordionist. And now we go back all the time. I love it there. You're right of course, I suppose it's the Empire that's responsible for the variety of food we have on offer. Fanny Cradock always used to say that we had no cuisine of our own and that we'd nicked it all from the various invaders and settlers that came to Britain but I don't know, I think we do have our own cuisine and whilst it's not to everyone's taste I don't think there's anyone who would be tempted by a traditional roast or pie and mash!

 

[EIIR]

I am glad he was left out, since when gets an olympic football team selected on celebrity status and not on merit? Beckham did not "deserve" a place in Team GB as a footballer (the level he has been playing on in recent years may level the Championship, 2nd league in Britain), and it was not his "right" to appear at London 2012 as an olympian just because he helped to push the bid. It would have been all about him, not about the team, with Beckham, who doesnt even live in the UK, its all about self-promotion. Its his nemesis that he never won a titel for GB or England and will never be a national hero like Sir Robson or Sir Charlton and might lose out on the knighthood he longs for so much.

Let's be honest, no-one takes the Olympic football tournament seriously anyway. It's entirely pointless given football already has its own tournaments that are considered the pinnacle in the sport.

David Beckham is a patriot who anytime he's asked to do anything for the country is always more than happy to do so. He helped get the Games, has been involved with promoting the Games throughout and is admired around the world. Ryan Giggs is captaining the team even though he's 39 and rarely makes the Man United team. He was picked because he's Welsh and hasn't been to a big tournament before. If Ryan Giggs can be picked for that reason, why can't David Beckham?

Lumutqueen wrote:

I've tasted it, and it's nothing special. Whilst fish and chips are nice, give me a curry or a lovely bowl of pasta any day.

You're obviously eating in the wrong places. Modern British food is as good as any food you'll find anywhere. Curry is a big part of British food now. You won't get chicken tikka masala in India or Bangladesh because it's a British invention.

British food got a bad reputation in the years after WWII, basically because food was still rationed until the mid-1950s. We had to make do with what we were given, so food tended to be less tasty and with less variety than in other countries. But just think about the contribution British food has made to the world. The sandwich, probably the most popular type of food on the planet, is a British invention. Our puddings and deserts are the best in the world in my opinion.

 

[BeatrixFan]

Absolutely EIIR! Well said! I love all kinds of food but to sit down to a Sunday roast followed by Eaton Mess - there's nothing like it. I think our poor food reputation comes from the fact that we don't really do restaurant food - we do comfort food.

 

[Lumutqueen]

You're obviously eating in the wrong places. Modern British food is as good as any food you'll find anywhere. Curry is a big part of British food now. You won't get chicken tikka masala in India or Bangladesh because it's a British invention..

I'm not eating in the wrong places, I'm eating in the places I eat. My preference for Italian or Indian cuisine has nothing to do with wear I live or eat, it's to do with the fact I prefer that cooking to the food in the UK.

Absolutely EIIR! Well said! I love all kinds of food but to sit down to a Sunday roast followed by Eaton Mess - there's nothing like it. I think our poor food reputation comes from the fact that we don't really do restaurant food - we do comfort food.

Sunday dinner I agree, it is a lovely meal and there's a pub in the village next to mine that does sunday dinner like it's christmas dinner but every sunday. Meat and three veg with all the trimmings, plus real gravy. But that's tradition, same old same old and whilst it's good cooking I'm more of an adventure type of gal. Although, Heston B takes it to the extreme.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

Let's be honest, no-one takes the Olympic football tournament seriously anyway. It's entirely pointless given football already has its own tournaments that are considered the pinnacle in the sport.

I wonder if the players who have been picked share this opinion. And I wonder why David Beckham pulled out all the stops to become a member of the team. He has always claimed that he wanted to be picked on football merits or not at all and this is exactly what happened. He has been desperate for many years to sell what he is doing in the US as serious football what is not the case.

Ryan Giggs is captaining the team even though he's 39 and rarely makes the Man United team. He was picked because he's Welsh and hasn't been to a big tournament before. If Ryan Giggs can be picked for that reason, why can't David Beckham?

Its your opinion, not a fact, that Ryan Giggs has been picked because he is Welsh. Even if he is past his best, the class of football that he is part of at ManU is way, way above what Beckham has been doing in the US. If Giggs is past it, I dont know what Beckham is at this stage.

 

[EIIR]

Absolutely EIIR! Well said! I love all kinds of food but to sit down to a Sunday roast followed by Eaton Mess - there's nothing like it. I think our poor food reputation comes from the fact that we don't really do restaurant food - we do comfort food.

Probably because for so long British restaurants decided that French food was best and so British food was only really cooked at home.

When you look into it it's amazing how influential British food has been. The modern pancake is British; a dish very similar to lasagne was being eaten in England in the 1300s. Creme brulee was first invented at Cambridge University. Modern ice-cream owes a lot to British innovation. Gravy, cheddar cheese, custard ('creme anglaise'), clotted cream, marmalade, bonoffee pie, sticky toffee pudding, spotted dick, treacle tart, apple pie (sorry America), shepherd's pie, cottage pie, bangers and mash, bubble and squeak, Lancashire hotpot, scones, crumpets, English muffins, English mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Victoria sponge. You could go on forever.

 

[Osipi]

One thing I always thought that British tradition had so right is how they ate too. I may not be correct but I've always thought of the Brits having four meals a day. Breakfast in the morning and then having the dinner (the big meal of the day) at noon/early afternoon. Then comes the unique to Britain tea. Tea and crumpets, scones and watercress sandwiches are so very totally British. This is followed by a late supper (kind of like lunch as we know it now) around 8 or so in the evening.

I really enjoyed reading Philip's views on the opening/closing ceremonies. Personally I do tend to really enjoy them it really amplifies the coming together of nations in peaceful competition and at the end, a celebration of all athletes win or lose. I do agree that over the years they have grown way out of perspective as each host nation tries to outdo what has previously been done before.

One thing I think perhaps they should never have changed is that it used to be that in order to participate as an athlete, they had to have amateur status. It seems to me that once they allowed the professional "stars" on the teams, it kind of took away from the unity of a nation's team.

Lumutqueen: what a totally wonderful idea to have a British Olympian from 1948 light the cauldron!

 

[BeatrixFan]

Tea has almost fallen out now because most people work from 9-5 so they have breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's confusing because some people call their dinner 'tea' meaning it's a late one. It's still a bit of a habit for tea at 4 (at least among my circle) and it's more a natural "I fancy a cuppa and a biscuit" than "It's 4, we must have tea!" thing. It's a shame we've lost it as it was a nice break to the afternoon I imagine but now the only people doing tea on a grand scale are the poor tourists who get ripped off well and truly for a few tiny sandwiches and a bun! I suppose our working habits have altered the way we eat. Lunch is now at around 1pm for most people and only lasts an hour, then there's a big dinner at around 7. Though on Sundays it changes a bit, most people have Sunday lunch at around 1/2pm and then have a late supper. When I was younger we always had Sunday lunch at 1 and then salmon sandwiches and cake at around 6pm to coincide with the Antiques Roadshow!

 

[EIIR]

My grandparents would have a kind of tea in mid afternoons. It would consist of tea, usually with a slice of Victoria Sponge or one of my granny's homemade scones. When I stayed with them we would have the main meal of the day at lunchtime, then tea about 4 o'clock and supper at around 8 o'clock. Supper would be wheaten bread with jam, or a pancake with jam.

Afternoon tea has become a special event that you might take at a fancy hotel. It's not really an everyday thing anymore.

 

[BeatrixFan]

It's funny, I think all over the UK we've all got one thing in common - our Sunday routine!

 

[KittyAtlanta]

I love my Sunday routine! When I worked in England, I got so used to Elevenses and the 4p tea break (I always had tea white). I miss my English life, especially those payday lunches at the Dog & Partridge.

We altered our work hours when we had the Olympics in 1996. My workday started at 6a and ended at 2p(1p if I didn't take lunch). It wasn't too much of a hassle. We could not drive our cars (without penalty) into the city, but the train worked fine.

 

[Al_bina]

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