Chinese restaurant is unofficial hangout spot for Asian Olympians in Paris

A small Chinese restaurant in Paris has reportedly become an unofficial go-to spot for Paris Olympics attendees in recent weeks. Tang Zhongqiu’s restaurant, Yang Xiao Chu, which specializes in Sichuan cuisine, is located in the 15th arrondissement, near the table tennis venue – a sport highly popular in China.

Olympians visiting: Tang told the New York Times that his restaurant has seen crowds of Olympians, former gold medalists, team staff members, journalists and fans over the past two weeks who are eager to try dishes like suan cai yu (boiled fish and pickled cabbage soup) and shui zhu niu rou (spicy boiled beef). “I didn’t expect we would get this busy during the Olympics. I just look after them as if they were my family members,” the 50-year-old owner said. Some of the customers Tang welcomed include members of the Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea teams, as well as notable figures like three-time Olympic table tennis gold medalist Ding Ning and former table tennis player and popular commentator Liu Guozheng.
A busy, happy time: Tang, who bought the restaurant after the COVID-19 pandemic, faced an unforeseen problem when his only waiter took a month-long vacation, forcing him to rely on his two daughters, 11-year-old Chloe and 10-year-old Anna, to help with waiting tables and folding napkins. Despite being constantly busy with his restaurant’s newfound fame, Tang said the stress has been worth it. He told the Times, “It’s very tiring when things get busy. But I’m still happy even when I’m tired. I get to meet all kinds of different customers. I get to make many new friends.”

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