As the Winter Olympics got into full swing this weekend, the state of affairs in Sochi has become as much of a story the Games themselves. #SochiProblems has been gaining steam on Twitter as journalists and athletes find their hotel rooms in shambles and without running water or door handles. Everyone is wondering what happened to the $50 billion lavished on Sochi to prep for the Winter Olympics, and why there are so many stray dogs everywhere. Sadly, none of that money seems to have gone toward paving the streets, covering manholes, or addressing Russia’s archaic anti-gay laws.
But maybe the most comical of all Sochi fails are the seemingly endless #StrugglePlates athletes and journalists find themselves faced with as they seek sustenance at the Games. Some are encountering a bit of culture clash (if you’re eating breakfast in Russia, you better be ready for some fish), while others have found food that is just straight-up suspect.
From “Cok juice” to “ice cream in the ass,” check out some of the more curious foodstuffs of the Sochi Olympics.
The Struggle Plates of Sochi 2014
That’s hive-to-table freshness right there!
Bees in your honey, beer colored water, no flush toilets and the buzz abt #Sochi yuck factor today on @GMA pic.twitter.com/CvztMrEHRE — Matt Gutman (@mattgutmanABC) February 5, 2014
Water, the single most important fuel of athletes, looks like this in Sochi:
Water restored, sorta. On the bright side, I now know what very dangerous face water looks like. #Sochi #unfiltered pic.twitter.com/sQWM0vYtyz
— Stacy St. Clair (@StacyStClair) February 4, 2014
Breakfast of champions:
What’s for breakfast, Sochi? Tinned peas and marmalade? Mmmmm pic.twitter.com/JLIls7jQne — Shaun Walker (@shaunwalker7) February 5, 2014
At least the munchies don’t go unsated in Sochi:
Getting off the Nightly News set and back to hotel at 5am Sochi time. Breakfast fries before sleep-CJ pic.twitter.com/mNifVfS2Bt— Jansing & Co. (@JansingCo) February 7, 2014
Is that sort of like morning wood?
Morning cok. #sochi pic.twitter.com/cXUEas9Tsr — Dan O’Toole (@fs1otoole) February 6, 2014
#McSochi. SMH.
Food in Russia is amazing! #McSochi pic.twitter.com/eTYEtSw407 — Shaun White (@shaun_white) February 3, 2014
Welcome to Russia:
If only they’d serve more fish at breakfast.**sigh** #Sochi #11AliveOlympics pic.twitter.com/B2hcCMF4jb — jaye11alive (@jayewatson) February 6, 2014
Lulz:
I guess they ran out of cones. pic.twitter.com/VpjdWe7C4h — Sochi Problems (@SochiProb) February 9, 2014
Could be worse:
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and certainly the most interesting in Sochi. #hearstolympics pic.twitter.com/9GwnsyqkOW — Deirdre Fitzpatrick (@kcraFitz) January 31, 2014
Who will win the gold medal in butt chugging?
Lemonade was a popular drink and it still is #Sochi pic.twitter.com/Gm2WLWIGa8 — devour | nyc (@devourNYC) February 9, 2014
When the water is yellow, stick with gin:
Went to buy water, realised at last minute was big plastic bottle of gin. Then got accosted by 3-legged dog. #Sochi pic.twitter.com/RbP2GqnXUK — Shaun Walker (@shaunwalker7) February 4, 2014
Surprise!
Aw, man. Check into hotel for #Sochi2014, and all I get is lousy orange peel in the closet. #NoStrayDogs @nzaccardi pic.twitter.com/i37eFVk6SS — Michael C. Lewis (@MCLTribune) February 4, 2014
Can someone familiar with Russian please explain this mistranslation? It’s clearly a theme:
Breakfast of champions. RT @DLSpencer10: Menu item my 1st night in Sochi or I’m really out of it. pic.twitter.com/Nal1kODvtx” — Jackson Proskow (@JProskowGlobal) February 5, 2014
Paging Cooking for Bae:
It’s a saucey situation in Sochi! Choice of the day….BBQ! Pleased with food so far…. pic.twitter.com/Oen9htQ9Wy — Holly Brooks (@brooksha1) February 6, 2014
Too early to tackle this brainteaser:
You don’t need food, you need horribly translated fortune cookie. #ProblemsSochi #Sochi2014 #SochiFood pic.twitter.com/TAAMKF5Ha5 — ProblemsSochi (@ProblemsSochi) February 5, 2014
#SausageProblems:
I promise this is my first and last Sochi food tweet, but Big Sausage, Little Sausage supper. Bring it on. pic.twitter.com/SjFURMEoj9 — Tim Speight (@neddryason) February 1, 2014
Not entirely sure what’s going on here:
Par prieku @Krista_Baumane #sochifood (: pic.twitter.com/LLEaZ6Wk2a — Mareks Matisons™ (@marruciic) February 6, 2014
Did we mention the bathroom situation?
This is not a town where you want to have tummy problems…
Seeing double in the Gentlemen’s Loo at the Olympic Biathlon Centre #Sochi pic.twitter.com/a1HoilU9zn
— Steve Rosenberg (@BBCSteveR) January 20, 2014