Souhan: Hold the squid, give me the Big Mac

By JIM SOUHAN, Star Tribune

Last update: August 15, 2008 - 11:58 AM

I travel a lot, and the older I get, the more I like comfort food on the road.

I'm spending three weeks in Beijing on an expense report, and my most common meal is pizza in the cafeteria or McDonald's takeout.

I think it has to do with familiarity, and salt. It's hot here, and humid, and when you haven't eaten for a while nothing fill you up (with regret) faster than a McDonald's value meal.

• I wish I could tell you more glamorous stories, because everybody I told about my trip to China said I was lucky, but the reality is you spend most of your waking hours at the Olympics on a bus, on deadline, or in the press center.

• Today I covered Michael Phelps' sixth gold medal. Here's how that works in Beijing: Phelps started his race at 9:49 (Minnesota time). I sent my story by 10:10, rewrote by 11 after talking to a few of his competitors, then sent in a quote from his press conference right after it started at 11:45.

We should put a disclaimer on stories done on these deadlines: No brain cells were engaged in the making of this story.

• Today, the cafeteria featured curried squid. I don't know about you, but I like to let the squid's natural flavor come through, and curry just kills it.

• I covered Duluth runner Kara Goucher tonight in the 10,000 meters, and I plan to watch the men's basketball team take on Spain Saturday night, and cover New Ulm wrestler Ali Bernard on Sunday.

• Phelps, by the way, looked fatigued today. He should, of course. He's won six finals and swum prelims every day, and he's dealt with immense pressure, and he's still set a world record in every final.

• I'll say it again -- the men's basketball team has been a pleasure to cover. You know the Dwayne Wade who jokes with Charles Barkley in those commercials? That's the Wade we see every day here.

Here's the easy prediction, and it's also accurate: Now that the US is playing defense, it's going to win the gold medal even though Mike Krzyzewski never runs a recognizable offense.

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