Have you ever looked forward to a meal on a plane?
Okay, okay. Let's exclude Singapore Airline's first class "book the cook", Thai's similarly impressive inflight cuisine, and the like. First class is special. First class has Dom Perignon and caviar on request, some seats have doors, and several offer a Mercedes or BMW upon arrival to whisk you to the lounge. If you aren't looking forward to that, there's something wrong with you.
Even in business class you can at least drown your taste buds with French champagne and freshly baked bread and butter. There are cheese plates and fruit plates, pastries for desert and a detailed list of options for your main course. Plus your seat usually turns into a bed. So let's be honest, while you can complain about business class, it's likely you won't get many sympathetic nods.
Economy. Now economy is where the sympathy lies. Narrow seats built for midgets with a recline that is questionable at best, tray tables that leave you with room to think about moving but not actually accomplish much, and food that is highly questionable. I mean, which of us has ever gotten on a flight and said to themselves: I'm really looking forward to that chicken or pasta!
Perhaps that's the problem. That first question: "Chicken or pasta?"
It's usually said nicely enough, but I can't say I've ever gone to a restaurant and ordered based on the main ingredient. I want to know:
Obviously there are more challenges to an airline meal though. The food is cooked hours before, packaged, loaded on the plane and reheated at 30,000 feet. The air at that height is pressurized and dry, dulling the taste buds so that besides limp and pasty noodles you don't actually taste the subtleties of the food as well as you would at sea level. Layer on the cramped conditions and you have an environment that is not conducive for a good meal.
It's not all bedbugs and bleak horizons though. Airlines are aware of these challenges and have worked over the years to address them. An article this month on Roads & Kingdoms talks about the intricacies of airline meals, including advice like "make immediate use of those salt and pepper packages" and "if you drink wine, make sure it's the most powerful grape on hand"(if! ha!). So there is hope, even if it does sound a bit like an infomercial at 3a.m. (i.e. follow these 3 easy steps, and you can change your life!)
Take it as you will. For me, the highlight of a flight will never be the food. It's all about the French champagne. Bring on the bubbles and leave the bottle. I have a ten hour flight and I'm not planning to land sober!
Okay, okay. Let's exclude Singapore Airline's first class "book the cook", Thai's similarly impressive inflight cuisine, and the like. First class is special. First class has Dom Perignon and caviar on request, some seats have doors, and several offer a Mercedes or BMW upon arrival to whisk you to the lounge. If you aren't looking forward to that, there's something wrong with you.
Even in business class you can at least drown your taste buds with French champagne and freshly baked bread and butter. There are cheese plates and fruit plates, pastries for desert and a detailed list of options for your main course. Plus your seat usually turns into a bed. So let's be honest, while you can complain about business class, it's likely you won't get many sympathetic nods.
Economy. Now economy is where the sympathy lies. Narrow seats built for midgets with a recline that is questionable at best, tray tables that leave you with room to think about moving but not actually accomplish much, and food that is highly questionable. I mean, which of us has ever gotten on a flight and said to themselves: I'm really looking forward to that chicken or pasta!
Perhaps that's the problem. That first question: "Chicken or pasta?"
It's usually said nicely enough, but I can't say I've ever gone to a restaurant and ordered based on the main ingredient. I want to know:
- What kind of sauce is the chicken served in?
- What vegetables come on the side?
- Is there meat in the pasta?
- Are we talking manicotti or linguine?
And those questions don't even address the starter and desert, though on a plane you usually don't have a choice anyways.
So, step 1 in my mind would be for airlines to give a brief introduction to the meal they are serving. Do it over the loudspeaker, and sound enthusiastic. It's amazing how perception can be shaped by tone.
Obviously there are more challenges to an airline meal though. The food is cooked hours before, packaged, loaded on the plane and reheated at 30,000 feet. The air at that height is pressurized and dry, dulling the taste buds so that besides limp and pasty noodles you don't actually taste the subtleties of the food as well as you would at sea level. Layer on the cramped conditions and you have an environment that is not conducive for a good meal.
It's not all bedbugs and bleak horizons though. Airlines are aware of these challenges and have worked over the years to address them. An article this month on Roads & Kingdoms talks about the intricacies of airline meals, including advice like "make immediate use of those salt and pepper packages" and "if you drink wine, make sure it's the most powerful grape on hand"(if! ha!). So there is hope, even if it does sound a bit like an infomercial at 3a.m. (i.e. follow these 3 easy steps, and you can change your life!)
Take it as you will. For me, the highlight of a flight will never be the food. It's all about the French champagne. Bring on the bubbles and leave the bottle. I have a ten hour flight and I'm not planning to land sober!
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