Kelly: A group of us went to see men’s gymnastics. South Korea had a rough time, but the real struggles were at the concession stands. You want chips? Sorry, sold out. You want a hot dog? Sorry, sold out. But you can certainly have popcorn, which tastes like a strange buttered popcorn-Cracker Jacks hybrid. We also got some Oreos and butter cookies, but if you’re looking for something of substance, forget it. You won’t find it inside an Olympic venue.

Tiffany: At the Opening Ceremonies, the sausage at the concession stand looked like a shrunken Slim Jim but yellowish. All food products were between two yuan and 10 yuan, which converts to 30 cents and $1.50.

Shannon: Public service announcement — definitely need to eat something substantial before going to an event. Otherwise the only options are pretty much sweets and weird-flavored popcorn.

Kelly: McDonald’s was the best and only show in town after the event. Trust me, those McNuggets and fries were delicious at 10 p.m. But if I traveled 7,000 miles to Beijing to eat McDonald’s every day, I’m going to be very disappointed.

Tiffany: The concession stand at the zoo was selling “Texas Hot Dog” and “California Hot Dog.” I never realized there was much of a difference. Either way, the hot dogs did not look too appetizing. They were off color and small.

Stephanie: The moment we arrived, our hosts asked if we were hungry and said they were going to KFC. They told us to wait in the car and walked out with a big bucket of fried chicken. When we got to the house, they said the chicken was just for us and that they’d be eating Chinese food. They must think KFC is a staple of the American diet. Meanwhile, the 7-Eleven here is very different it is back home. Red Italian meat flavored Doritos? Fried chicken leg flavored Lays? I stuck to the basics: almonds, cashews, and chocolate-covered almonds.

Matina: A bunch of us were walking around the other night looking for a place to eat. Every authentic roast duck restaurant was closed by 9:30, so we ended up at KFC. Besides the fact that KFC in Beijing is not the same as KFC in the U.S., the employees would tell us they were out of barbeque sauce — and then hand it to other people right after! Seems to be a common trend here: People saying no to something when the answer is yes.

-– Kelly Finn, Shannon Helvey, Tiffany, Stephanie Baldwin, Matina Golias.