Preparing for the Olympics

The Olympics are now less than a month away. Preparations are in full swing with the finishing touches going on Olympic venues, traffic organization, and menu limitations.
During a conversation about car pool lanes in America, one student told me about the ingenious way the Chinese government has come up with manage traffic in Beijing during the Olympics. The goverment has decided that only cars with even number license plates can drive on even numbered days and only cars with odd numbered license plates can drive on odd numbered days. Because of this, websites have sprung up to connect odd-numbered license plate holders with even-numbered ones in the hopes of car pooling. Beijing has about 3.3 million cars, and this will take about half of them off the road. Obviously, taxis, police, and other emergency vehicles are an exception. The number of cars on the road has been limited since the beginning of this month so that these measures will have a significant effect on the pollution levels.
While browsing the news the other day I stumbled on an article about the 112 official Olympic restaurants of Beijing. During the games none of them will serve dog meat. If they serve dog meat, they will be black listed. Other non-official restaurants have been instructed that if someone orders dog meat they should politely suggest another dish. This is to avoid offending anyone and make the foreigners feel more comfortable. Soeul did the same thing during the 1988 Olympic games. Some people feel this is reasonable while others feel like the Chinese are sacrificing a part of their culture. One student pointed out that even though the Olympics are in China and it is an opportunity to showcase Chinese culture it is still an international event and everyone's feelings must be taken into consideration. Some travelers may feel they are cheated out of an authentic China experience while I'm sure others will be grateful to be spared thoughts of eating their beloved pets. My very scientific poll during English Corner on Monday revealed that about half of the students at my school have eaten dog. Supposedly, eating dog meat can help you stay warm in the winter and it is very flavorful. I've had the opportunity but I haven't eaten dog, even though I'm reassured that they only eat the ugly ones.