President Xi orders eating lessons for PLA: No wasting 'Chinese food' on plate

The regimented People’s Liberation Army has been asked to abide by strict regulations aimed at creating an atmosphere of shame in wastage of food and of pride in its saving. The move, inspired by President Xi, also seeks use of modern technology, energy saving devices and the dissemination of such information by state machinery. Senior journalist Sanjib Kr Baruah writes.

New Delhi: Chinese President Xi Jinping’s ‘China Dream’ project for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA)—which aims to make the military a ‘world class force’ by 2049—has now cut down right to what food the soldiers will eat and even how to cook.

State-controlled Chinese military media reported on Thursday on the food diktat issued by the Logistics Support Department (LSD) of the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC), of which President Xi is also the chairman, on his instructions “to guide all officers and soldiers to participate, and constantly strengthen the concept of civilized and thrifty diet”.

Focused on food security and to promote thrift, the LSD ordered effective measures to establish a long-term mechanism that will resolutely stop food waste in the 20 lakh-strong PLA, and “create an atmosphere of shame in waste and pride in saving”.

Economy in food and ways to eliminate waste is to be incorporated into the regular education of the PLA. Other measures include promotion of non-staple food, promoting standard meals, reducing the waste of “Chinese food on a plate”, avoiding over-processing and luxurious cooking, increasing the number of cooked vegetables, reducing the variety of fried vegetables, and reducing the consumption of edible oil.

The instruction advocated exploring “new concepts of energy saving, green, and intelligence, explore the application of advanced cooking equipment…universal steaming ovens, and cooking robots, improve the mechanization and intelligent level of meal preparation…automatic evaluation of nutritional levels.”

Of course, there is ‘holiday food’ too. The instructions sought formulating holiday recipes during holidays as “it is necessary to highlight the festive atmosphere and promote the tradition of diligence and thrift”.

ETV Bharat had earlier reported on how the PLA has been conducting training exercises in high-altitude areas since June to tackle logistical issues of food and fuel in preparation for a likely scenario of the standoff with India continuing into the winter.

Aimed at ensuring efficiency in food and fuel availability and its swift distribution, the exercise has a module where 300 dishes of hot food with balanced nutritional values has to be cooked by 8 cooks within 80 minutes.

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