14 May Airplane Food : an article dedicated to travel foodies
The airplane food is an issue that every traveler has discussed at least one time. One issue that creates mixed feelings. On one hand there are passengers that do not touch the airplane food. And they have good reasons. On the other hand there are passengers like us who may recognize that airplane food is not the best on the planet but the feeling of discovery and hunger overcomes that fact.
Food tasting on air! |
Economy vs Business class
Let’s begin by saying that airplane food is different in every airline. Yes, it matters with which airline you fly and especially if you travel economy, business, or first class. Taste is not the only thing that is different, but also the appearance. At the end every little thing matters on a meal. The same happens with the alcohol. From the white wine in economy class to the 20 years old brandy in business class the difference is important. Getting drunk on a flight is a horrible idea, but enjoying 1-2 cocktails is not that bad!
Why food has different taste on air?
If you eat a cheese pie why on air and then the same cheese pie on the ground the taste will be different! This happens because the conditions and the air quality are different. This has immediate impact on your ability to taste and recognize the different levels of flavors at the airplane food. The cabin pressure and the low humidity in the atmosphere create unpleasant conditions for your taste buds. The low levels of humidity are the reason why you feel dryness in your mouth and also dehydrated. Besides that, the air in the plane changes every 2-3 minutes which makes your food drier. So if you have choices prefer a food with sauce.
What about the quality of the airplane food?
The truth is that you don’t about the conditions that this food was stored but also how much time was outside the fridge. The other truth of course is that the same happens with your favorite restaurant. You never know the history of every meal and every ingredient in your meal. Also keep in mind that the airlines don’t want to make you sick with food poisoning!
We usually eat the airplane food and we never had a problem. Actually many times we enjoyed it!
In which airlines we ate the best food?
We have travelled with a few airlines and we still have many more to discover. Some of them are Qatar airways, KLM, Iberia, Turkish airlines, Aegean Airlines, Emirates, AirAsia, Bangjkok airways, Air France, Lufthansa and Ryanair. Until now we vote our best business class food in Qatar airways, segment Doha-Singapore (airbus 350). Basic reason why we choose Qatar is not only the taste of the food but also the presentation and the variety, especially of the desserts. You felt like you were in a restaurant. The best meals that we have tasted in economy class were with Aegean Airlines and Turkish airlines.
Tips for maximum pleasure
- Prefer something with sauce and not the dry chicken
- Avoid too many fats because they might make you feel uncomfortable. Eat that hot bun with butter, but don’t eat five of them! (George busted)
- Don’t drink coffee. The reason is the water! Many airlines don’t comply with the regulations for water safety.
- Don’t drink too much alcohol. You may cause a diversion!
- If you are offered a cheese pie let it cool down a little bit. The chees can be really hot from the microwave.