Fried rice and hamburgers… A real food review of the much-talked-about “robot rice” at the Beijing Olympics!

It has been five days since our correspondent, 35, arrived in Beijing. Since the Beijing Winter Olympics have adopted the “bubble system,” media personnel are not allowed to go outside the hotels and stadiums. Inevitably, the only place to eat is inside the bubble, and in this situation, “robot food” is being widely praised.

Robot food” refers to the food prepared by machines or delivered automatically to the cafeteria in the Olympic media center. Many of you may have seen the video of “robot fried rice” reported in various media, where a machine sifts a pot and it comes down from the ceiling. But at the same time, many people must have wondered, “Is this really good ……? But at the same time, many people must have wondered, “Is this really good ? This time, this reporter has actually tasted the robot fried rice, and will take the liberty of reviewing it.

First meal: Surprisingly not bad? Robot Fried Rice

First of all, I ordered the Robot Fried Rice, one of the most popular dishes. The price was 40 yuan. The price was 40 Yuan, which is roughly 720 Japanese Yen. When you pay at the register, you will be asked if you have already taken a seat, and if not, you will be assigned a seat.

After waiting for about 15 minutes, a Roomba-like machine with fried rice on top comes through the transparent lane on the ceiling. After that, a crane like machine brings down a tray with fried rice on it.

I tried it right away. My honest impression after taking a bite was that it was not bad. In addition to the egg, there were vegetables such as corn, carrots, and green peas, all of which were crunchier than I expected. All of them were crisper than I expected, and the green onions were more fresh and tasty than I expected. However, the rice was more dry than crispy. The seasoning was salt and pepper, and the whole dish felt a little oily. It wasn’t bad, but if I had to ask myself if I would eat it again, I would be a little hesitant.

Second Meal: I can’t recommend the Robot Pork Bone Rice.

There is also robot rice, which is similar to the so-called “pork bone rice” with sweet and spicy boiled meat on top of the rice. In this case, a large amount of already prepared rice is lined up in the machine, and when you accept the order, the robot will bring it to you. When you place an order at the cashier, you are given a receipt with a QR code. When you place an order at the cashier, you are given a receipt with a QR code, which you take to the machine, scan it, and it is served to you. However, there is a human attendant in front of the machine who takes the QR code from the customer and scans it for you. Although the purpose of this is to reduce human-to-human contact as much as possible as a measure against infection, I felt that this did not make much sense.

The rice is served in an earthenware pot-like container, and the rice inside is a bit sticky, making it fragrant and delicious. The accompanying sauce was a bit strong, but it was not a problem if you adjusted the amount of sauce. The packaged chinese pickles were also very refreshing. The meat, however, had very few edible parts, most of which were bones. The price was 55 yuan (about 990 yen). To be honest, I don’t think I would eat this again.

In the same category, there was also a dish of chicken and mushrooms cooked in sweet and spicy sauce, served on top of clay pot rice. I felt that the price of 50 yuan (900 yen) was rather expensive, but I guess it was the Olympic price. ……

Third meal: “Robot hamburger,” which made me miss Japan.

Hamburgers are popular among the Western press. I ordered a beef burger (30 yuan, about 540 yen) and fries (20 yuan, about 360 yen). For the burgers, the robot placed the meat and other ingredients on top of the buns on a container. For the fries, the robot cut up raw potatoes and put them in a pot of oil to fry. The movements of the robot as it drained the oil were comical and cute.

The hamburger had salt and pepper seasoning on the meat, and shredded cabbage dipped in mayonnaise. The fries were unseasoned on their own, and we were instructed to add the accompanying ketchup. The fries were hot and tasty, as expected from a freshly fried dish. The hamburger had a strong “synthetic meat” taste and the bun was crispy. To be honest, the hamburger didn’t taste very good. When I looked around, I saw many customers ordering only fries, and I thought that would be the best choice.

All in all, unfortunately, there was nothing I could say about the “robot rice” that was delicious. However, since the purpose of this robot rice is to fight infection, the taste may have been neglected.

In this Olympics, China is desperately trying to show that it is doing its best to fight infection. Of course, this is because the Olympics is a national project that puts the prestige of the country on the line, but there is nothing better than suppressing the number of infections by doing so.

As a part of our cooperation in the fight against infection, I would like to thank you for this robot rice every day for the next two weeks or so.