Though Peking Roast Duck, dumplings and fried rice will be served around the clock in the Olympic village, foreign guests should also explore Beijing for other Chinese delicacies.

To meet the many and varied tastes of foreign customers, chefs at most restaurants and hotels in Beijing have unshackled their imaginations and meticulously arranged their menus for the Games.

The 140-year-old Quanjude, a restaurant noted for its Beijing Roast Duck, has developed a series of Olympic-themed dishes.

About 60 percent of them contain Chinese cuisine and the remainder, such as pan-fried duck breast with seasonal vegetables, duck liver paste with bat-shaped bread and mashed potatoes, have been Westernized.

The sport-themed restaurant of Quanjude, near the Olympic Village, has even prepared a series of cold dishes, such as "Water Cube" duck tongue in jelly (with blue light from the bottom), "Bird Nest" duck wing shreds, "tennis" salad and "discus" mushrooms.

From venues to sport equipment, all kinds of Olympic elements have been used in these exquisite-looking dishes.

Meanwhile, many hotels have prepared to receive foreign VIPs.

Unlike those restaurants trying to make their dishes look "Olympic", they are relying on original flavors peculiar to Chinese food.

"We won't deliberately seek a Olympic-featured appearance," said Derrick Siew, Chinese restaurant operations manager of China World Hotel. "Seen from the perspective of a foreign guest, typical Chinese food, instead of garish-looking dishes, is what he wants. We will make every effort to guarantee the pure flavor and original characteristics, even for the simplest dish like a small steamed bun," he added.

It is always difficult for hotels to meet different demands while trying to showcase China's catering culture by offering authentic flavors.

"The first thing is to make the food tasty no matter what kind of food they have," said Zhang Yi, the PR manager of Grand Hotel Beijing. "For those foreigners who can't adapt themselves to typical Chinese food, we need to prepare quality western dishes and make adjustment for Chinese cuisine. Dishes with sweet and sour sauce and light tastes would be more easily accepted."

Elaborate drinks and ice creams are also favored by many customers in summer. In the bar of China World Hotel, a series of five gaily-colored cocktails made from different fruits and Martini symbolize the five continents.

"The cocktails, using different materials from all over the world, manifest the grand gathering of different nations," Ren Xiaoqiang, the bar manager said.