Mekong patrols help ensure mariners' safety

The cook: Wu Shuangping, 32

Before I was appointed as chef on my ship, I could not get used to eating hot, sour southwestern cuisine, let alone cooking it, as I come from Zhejiang province where most of the local dishes are pretty light.

I used to find it funny to see people sweating profusely when eating spicy food, but adding more chilies. Now, having spent years taking part in joint patrols and trying different things to cater for all tastes, I love spicy food.

My experience of spicy food started during my first patrol in February 2012. Before the ship sailed, I thought we would be conducting an ordinary patrol like the ones I experienced during my service with the People's Armed Police Force in Fujian province from 2007 to 2011.

When we went on board, our senior officer said there was no professional cook on the ship, so we would have to fend for ourselves. As a result, I ate some unpalatable food, cooked by people who I believe had never touched a frying pan before.

We took turns to cook, and one morning, my shift came. I had only tried making the simplest food before, so I braced myself and followed a recipe in a cookbook step by step to make a meal.

To my surprise, it was quite successful, and I received compliments from my comrades. I didn't know whether I was gifted or just lucky. Anyway, it was at least edible, as I noticed some of them asking for more.

After that, I always enjoyed the days when it was my turn to cook, and I started learning more recipes from books and the internet. In 2014, my comrades decided to cancel the cooking shifts and asked me to become the chef whenever we participated in the monthly joint patrols.

It was really hard to suit every taste, but I found that almost all my comrades would eat spicy food. Many of them are from southwestern provinces where spices are important, traditional features of local food, and when you are far from home and family, the strong flavor can alleviate homesickness.

Influenced by them, the rest of us became spicy food lovers, and now the majority of dishes on our tables are fiery. My beer-braised duck and pepper chicken are among my colleagues' favorite dishes.

Though we come from different parts of China and have different tastes in food, as long as we are on a mission, we follow the same desire to bring peace to the people living along the river. We are on the same patrol ship, so we eat the same food.