August 22, 2008 2:30 PM
Yao Eats at Tim's
Tim Hilbert was home last night, relaxing from a long day of work, when he received a call from one of his restaurant's managers.Yao's here, the manager said. You might want to come back to work.
So Hilbert did what any sensible Beijing-barbecue-restaurant-owning Texan would do: he headed back to his store to say hello to one of the most famous athletes on the planet.
Let's put this in perspective: the biggest Chinese basketball player in the world, who happens to play for an NBA team in Texas, ate dinner last night at Beijing's only authentic Texas barbecue restaurant, which is owned by a Texan and located in a city that's hosting China's Olympic Games.
"Yeah, that was pretty cool," Hilbert said of Yao's visit to Tim's Texas Bar-B-Q.
Yao -- who came with an American and a Chinese friend -- ordered the pork ribs and chicken.
"He scarfed it all down, so he must have loved it," Hilbert said.
Hilbert said he was unable to convince Yao to send him a new jersey to hang on his wall, though he did take a few photos with him. He added that Yao made a quick entrance and exit last night to avoid a crowd that had gathered to see the Chinese star eat.
Join the discussion