How does the food in a
Chinese soldier's knapsack taste when he is on march?
"Well, not bad," answered a group of foreign military attaches with their
thumbs up Thursday in Beijing after tasting the Chinese army's newest rations.
Two chefs from an
army unit in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region join a cooking contest in a
training base in Yinchuan in this July 25, 2004 photo.
[newsphoto] |
A lot more goes into soldiering food than into an average `niurou mian.'
The provisions have to be lightweight as well as durable and not taste awful,
as people generally imagine.
The newly developed self-heating fried rice and noodles were praised by the
military officers who said the rations satisfied both their stomachs and their
taste buds.
Even the improved compressed cereal has become a tasty snack.
"Well, Chinese food is always good," said Frank Miller, a colonel from the US
Embassy in China.
He said back in his country the staple food for soldiers includes bread,
sandwiches and noodles.
At the invitation of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Ministry of National
Defence, 84 foreign military attaches from 57 countries visited the
Quartermaster Equipment Institute of General Logistics Department of Chinese
People's Liberation Army (PLA) Thursday.
The institute focuses on research, development and pilot manufacturing of
military equipment such as rations, uniform, and body armour.
Some say that military uniforms set apart those who wear them. For the group
of attaches, that feeling was highlighted during a visit to the protective
clothing and material laboratory of the institute.
"It was amazing," said Colonel Basnyat from the Nepalese Embassy in China,
who was impressed by the strict procedures used to test the material.
"The uniform I am wearing now is made in China and I now know it has very
good and special quality," he said. The Nepalese Government began to import its
uniforms a couple of years ago.
Miller, from the United States, said high technology supports the institute's
work.
The visit was the first by foreign guests to the protective clothing and
material laboratory.
Hwang Ho-Sung from the Republic of Korea said he was not only happy to join
the tour but looked forward to similar events in the future.
The Foreign Affairs Office of the Ministry of National Defence started
organizing visits to both army organizations and to observe military
exercises.