August 8, 2012
LONDON CALLING (DAY 15)
Eating habits go from ridiculous to sublime

By Michael Lewis
BigAppleSoccer.com Editor

LONDON -- Now, this is going to make my wife Joy mad and envious with me at the same time.

Within a span of some nine hours, my dining habits went from the ridiculous to the sublime.

After a long, tiring day getting up early, journeying from Manchester to London and out to Wembley for Mexico's 3-1 Olympic semifinal soccer win over Japan, I was one hungry sportswriter. Except for one thing, there were not many restaurants open at midnight.

So, against my will, I settled on McDonald's to quell what had become a rather major rumbling in my stomach. I am happy to say that I survived the experience, although it is one that I would rather not duplicate.

At 9 a.m. on Wednesday, I was among sportswriters invited to have a breakfast roundtable with U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati and CEO/secretary general Dan Flynn at a restaurant called The Delaunay.

We had a choice of smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, Eggs Benedict or pancakes with blueberries and crème fraîche

I chose the former and I was not disappointed.

In fact, it was the best smoked salmon I ever had; smooth, very smooth. The scrambled eggs were prepared perfectly.

For dessert, we interviewed Gulati and Flynn, from which I hope to put up a story or two on this website a little later today.

I should let you know that Joy is superb chef and cook who knows her stuff when it comes to food and nutrition and I have learned and been reminded a lot about what is good and what to avoid.

When you're dealing with an event such as the Olympics and World Cup, proper eating, like it or not, can go out the window quite quickly. I have reminded myself when I do pass a fruit stand or grocery store to buy fruits and veggies.

As for Wednesday night dinner, I have no exact plans at the moment. With no game scheduled, I reckon that I will be finished well before midnight and be able to eat in an actual restaurant. On the way from my hotel to my tube stop, I noticed there was a Nando's, part of a worldwide that included restaurants in South Africa (2010 World Cup). Well, that’s something to fall back on if all else fails.

I don't think I will be able to duplicate the breakfast experience, but I certainly will be in a position to avoid McD's and other fast food establishments.

Thank heavens, and my stomach thanks me, too.