Looking through photos of the pre-pandemic travel days, I began to feel nostalgic for something unusual…or so I thought, until coming across news of Malaysians being able to order AirAsia meals at Kuala Lumpur malls. Then, in October 2020, I found out about Singapore Airlines catering economy and business class meals to private residences. Folks, you’re in Southeast Asia; don’t you realize you’re in a hotbed of diverse and plentiful eats?
But then I think, those people don’t necessarily miss the food, they miss the gestalt of traveling…among those traits are the thrill of boarding a plane, gazing at the various destinations visible on the airports departures screens, exploring the unknown, the mono no aware element, and of course, trying different foods.
The way I look at it, if I’m eating airline meals, tasty or inedible, at least I’m traveling somewhere.
Hey, it could be worse.
When Azerbaijan Airlines launched this route – their only flight to the US – I had read that visas would be easier to obtain by traveling with the Azeri national carrier. Wanting to avail of this offer, I booked a flight to Istanbul, with a few days stopover in the Azeri capital Baku.
Surprisingly, the in-flight meal wasn’t terrible. Chicken and pasta, basdırma (air-dried beef), and a raspberry crumble were on the tray, none of which offended the palette too much.
Through a fuel dump travel hack, I snagged a long-haul business class flight. And really, Doha to Philly? Yep, because Qatar Airways and American Airlines have hubs in those airports, respectively.
As far as airline meals go, Qatar Airways was truly cooking with gas. Since it was breakfast time, they served ful medames, or cooked fava beans with olive oil, cumin and garlic, served with tomatoes, olives, cucumbers, and the mild Lebanese cheese called baladi.
Skymark Airlines is a Japanese low-cost carrier, so beyond a successful take-off and landing, don’t expect much. Then again, it has never been an airline’s job to do anything more than get us from A to B, right?
Nevertheless, the snack was a company-branded Kit Kat bar. What is it with Japan and Kit Kats? Great marketing, that’s what. When pronounced in Japanese, the name sounds similar to きっと勝つ, which translates as “undoubtedly/surely win.”
What consumers win besides a sugar rush is beyond me.
More business class airline food, but this time, courtesy of frequent flier miles.
They really piled on the courses, but this was one of the lighter entries. Two things stand out: 1) On the smoked salmon salad is that condiment ubiquitous in East Asia, mayonnaise. Can’t stand the stuff, primarily because East Asia puts it on everything. 2) Tomato Juice. I love tomatoes, and love their juice, but I only really drink the stuff on planes. Seems many travelers share this behavior.
This was the last of the pre-COVID-19 airline meals of which I took a photo. The meal, — chicken biryani with vegetables, green beans, and a chiffon cake — was not otherwise memorable.
Do you bother with airline meals, or do you bring your own food? Both?
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