Eating in the air

[Roy Hersh]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/11/busin ... 3&emc=eta1

When was the last time you had something edible on an airplane that you didn't bring along with you?

I always get a kick when flying TAP from Newark to Porto or Lisbon, when they wake everyone up in the morning, breakfast is served: a 36 hour old roll, "stuffed" with a 1/2 oz. piece of some kind of pork product (don't want to know!) and a 1/2 oz. slice of cheese. This breakfast sandwich is always accompanied by a 1/4 oz piece of chocolate candy bar. Less filling.

But, at least they provide a meal.

Domestic coast-to-coast flights with no meal in economy section is just ridiculous.

[Glenn E.]

Domestic coast-to-coast flights with no meal in economy section is just ridiculous.

I actually like the new way that airlines have started doing this. On yesterday's flight back to Seattle from Newark, there were 3 different meals available for purchase and also 3 different boxed "snack packs." We bought the cheese plate and the classic snack pack for a total of $14.

To me, this system makes much more sense because the meals and snack packs are packaged food. The airline only uses what people actually want and so nothing is wasted. Leftovers can simply be used on the next flight. If I don't need anything to eat on a flight, I don't buy anything. I also find that the packaged cheeses and meats taste better than the ... um ... mystery food ... that the airlines used to serve, probably because there was so much waste previously that the airlines were serving the cheapest crap they could find.

Was the food we bought actually worth $14? Not in a grocery store, no, but it was reasonable for airline fare. We ended up with 5-6 small cheeses, 2 kinds of dried fruit, several packages of crackers, some salami, some goldfish crackers, some cookies, and a tiny package of jelly bellies. Not bad at all.

[Marc J.]

The best airplane food that I've had recently was on Emirates, between London and Dubai. The food was quite good (we're talking real silverware) and the service was spectacular. I must also mention the food on Air Pacific between Fiji & Tonga - although it was not up to the same standard as Emirates, it was still quite good (Air Pacific's long-haul flights between North America and the South Pacific are a bit disappointing and are definitely in need of "supplementary" food.)

[Eric Menchen]

When was the last time you had something edible on an airplane that you didn't bring along with you?

Probably on Singapore Airlines in 2006.

That was an entertaining read.

The packaging, freezing, drying and storage are hard on flavor at any altitude, let alone 30,000 feet.

Well, the plane is pressurized to 8000 feet (5000 for the new Dreamliner), so that isn't 30,000. But I had never really thought about the effect of altitude on taste buds. I live at 5000, so perhaps all my local tasting is skewed a little. I am readily aware of the effect of altitude on alcohol.

I recall getting bumped up to first class on a domestic flight many years ago (probably pre-9/11). I was pretty disappointed in the food. It seemed pretty much the same as the coach food at the time, except you got it with a cloth napkin and silverware.

[Marc J.]

When was the last time you had something edible on an airplane that you didn't bring along with you?

Probably on Singapore Airlines in 2006.

That was an entertaining read.

The packaging, freezing, drying and storage are hard on flavor at any altitude, let alone 30,000 feet.

Well, the plane is pressurized to 8000 feet (5000 for the new Dreamliner), so that isn't 30,000. But I had never really thought about the effect of altitude on taste buds. I live at 5000, so perhaps all my local tasting is skewed a little. I am readily aware of the effect of altitude on alcohol.

I recall getting bumped up to first class on a domestic flight many years ago (probably pre-9/11). I was pretty disappointed in the food. It seemed pretty much the same as the coach food at the time, except you got it with a cloth napkin and silverware.

I do remember seeing a piece that focused on the preparation of airline meals and altitude does effect the flavor profile. In fact, the choices that are made concerning meals and seasoning are a direct result of altitude, prep time, durability and appearance (as well as the economics of providing particular foods.)

During the summer months I typically spend quite a bit of time backpacking throughout the Sierra and on these trips I pack dehydrated meals. They are nice and light (which is great for a long backpacking trip) but they're also a little on the expensive side. Rehydrating these meals at altitude (10,000+ ft.) is time consuming and requires quite a bit of water. Even after being rehydrated, due to the lower boiling temp. at altitude, the meals never seem to "fully" rehydrate. For snack items I'd imagine that prepackaged "snack packs" would be a good call, but anything that needs to be served hot would be a whole different can of worms.

[Moses Botbol]

I order the Hindu meal option

[Eric Ifune]

Flying to NYC a couple of weeks ago, I was held up in security. I was hoping to grab a bit in the terminal but was too late. I didn't even have a chance for some coffee. Bought a sandwich on the plane and drank lots of coffee. The attendents commented a couple of times on my coffee consumption. The sandwich wasn't too bad, but why do they use such tiny coffeee cups!

[Roy Hersh]

Spillage leads to lawsuits. When there is turbulence airlines service staff are worried about people getting burned. Similarly remember the lawsuits vs. McDonald's and their "scalding" issues.

[Andy Velebil]

Spillage leads to lawsuits. When there is turbulence airlines service staff are worried about people getting burned. Similarly remember the lawsuits vs. McDonald's and their "scalding" issues.

Have you ever read the full case on the McDonald incident? If not you should and you'll have a different opinion on it and how it applies to product liability claims.

[Eric Menchen]

Have you ever read the full case on the McDonald incident? If not you should and you'll have a different opinion on it and how it applies to product liability claims.

Can you give us the abbreviated version? Was there a real case there, or was it as silly as it sounded?