Food for thought for land lubbers

Fresh water, vegetables and fruit are the things PLA navy sailors miss most during escort missions, according to those who've served overseas.

"We were served a lot of fish and meat at every meal during the mission, but they didn't taste too good because they'd been stored in a refrigerator for a long time," said Zhang Hua, a nurse at the PLA No 404 Hospital in Weihai, Shandong province. "We ate meat every day, and I still feel a little nauseous at the sight of refrigerated meat."

In 2013, Zhang and three doctors from the hospital were members of the 14th escort mission, which lasted more than seven months.

In addition to fish and meat, potatoes, Chinese cabbage and onions were part of almost every meal, she said, adding that instant noodles were popular, too.

"Every time the ship docked at a foreign port, we would buy some fresh vegetables and fruits, but they would be eaten within two or three days, and we would have to wait until the next port to get more," she recalled.

Zhou Hui, a doctor from the PLA hospital's liver disease department, said the lack of fresh water poses a challenge to the sailors. "Most of the drinking water on our ships is made via desalination, and many crew members wind up with kidney stones or gall stones because they drink brackish water over long periods of time," he said.