Tasty food during a flight
Especially on a long flight from Amsterdam to Bangkok, for example, I always find serving meals a nice break in time.
In general, I am quite satisfied with the meals offered and could not name one, two, three companies that stand out in terms of quality. The quality of the meals has therefore never been a criterion for me to choose a particular airline.
Bad reputation
Sanne Veldhoven wrote an article about airplane meals on the website Favorflav and starts to say that airplane food has a bad reputation. Especially in economy class it is always waiting to see what appears on the fold-out table when the aluminum foil is removed from the hard plastic tray.
Of course, writes Sanne, it will always fly with the wings you have. After all, it is difficult to conjure up tasty and warm and beautifully served food at a height of 12 kilometers for sometimes hundreds of passengers. On another website I read that food actually tastes different at that height. This is due to the dry airplane air drying out the nasal mucous membranes, which reduces the sense of smell. And smell determines the taste for 80%.
Inflight feed
Now there's an Australian, Nik Loukas, who maintains an Instagram account and a website filled with reviews of airplane meals. He flies no less than 180.000 kilometers a year with the sole purpose of reviewing the food on board. According to Loukas, food on board does not always have to be bad. I quote Anne with some statements about Nik Loukas' experiences:
“ The tiramisu can count on its great appreciation on a flight from Frankfurt to Rome with Alitalia. Even on long, intercontinental flights, a decent meal is served in many cases, he says. On the Amsterdam-Singapore route with Singapore Airlines, for example, he was impressed by the steak with shallot and tarragon sauce, roasted pumpkin and mashed potatoes. Our own KLM also comes out favorably in its reviews. Loukas is a particular fan of the curries and the blue and white sandwich boxes with canal houses on the short flights. The breakfast in the most expensive KLM class, by two-star chef Onno Kokmeijer, also looks very tempting.”
Sorbis / Shutterstock.com
The website
Go to www.inflightfeed.com and feast your eyes on the sometimes beautiful photos and videos of all possible meals on board planes of countless airlines. There is a search box where you can enter your favorite airline and you will get an idea of what to expect in the air above.
Finally
I made this article in response to a message in the Algemeen Dagblad that AirAsia is going to open restaurants where only airplane meals will be served. People are so convinced of the great class of their meals in the air that it will certainly bring success. The first restaurant will open in Kuala Lumpur and dozens are planned to follow in multiple countries.
However, that goes too far for me! I can enjoy a meal on an airplane, with a glass of wine of course, but then sitting back on the floor in a restaurant with a plastic tray in front of me is not an option for me.
What is your experience with airplane meals?
It's all good and I see it as a pastime.
Personally, I'm looking forward to breakfast…. means we're almost there 😉
https://www.vlucht-vertraagd.nl/blog/2019/06/03/waarom-is-vliegtuigeten-zo-vies
I always look forward to breakfast. That means you're almost there...
Yes Ronnie,
That, about breakfast, I think is a good approach and I can agree with that.
And then feel the wheels on the runway "thump"!!
Worst meals (B Class): Austrian Airlines (Beijing-Vienna). White rice and dry piece of chicken. A chef in chef's clothing, complete with a high chef's hat, serves it with the crew. They concentrate on sweets (coffee blends, tarts, etc.)
Best Meals: (Asia-America, B Class): ANA and Singapore Airlines (SA, best wine/beverage selection).
Aside: best lounge meals: Singapore, San Francisco. Worst: Brussels (sorry).
then you probably haven't been to London Heathrow in the lounge…. then Brussels is a culinary tour de force compared to London.
Personally, I like the meals of Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific best when it comes to flights to Thailand. Cathay Pacific flew to Chiang Mai and back to Amsterdam more than a month and 4 days ago and had a delicious meal. Choice in economy class from 3 menus for the main meal and from 2 for breakfast. Also on the Hong Kong Chiang Mai route with Cathay Dragon nothing but praise. On this flight of about two and a half hours you can also choose from 2 delicious menus.
It is indeed true that the food on board tastes less than on the ground floor. This certainly also applies to wine and you will soon recognize the pseudo wine connoisseur. Once, when I was still working at Lufthansa, I was allowed to see the kitchen where meals were prepared for many airlines. Since then I could only respect the magic of those kitchens. That was then LG, which supplied various companies worldwide.
Even simple meals are considered put together. Everything is packed or frozen fresh and quickly, so that as much flavor as possible is preserved. This was already a few years ago. Maybe it's not the same quality anymore.. Better or worse...
The quality of the food has definitely gone up in the last 20 years as far as I'm concerned. The presentation has also improved. Compliments for KLM are certainly in order here.
I now fly BC with some regularity and yes, that is quite a different experience, also in terms of food.
It would do me a great favor to simply replace those meals with filled sandwiches with a choice like in a sandwich bar, because with those more and more narrow economy seats it is difficult to arrange all that is offered on that A4 board.
I've even had the experience of dropping a fork and having to call the stewardess to pick it up because you can't possibly get stuck with that fully loaded A4, and I'm only 180 cm, 74 kilos, so not oversized.
Wonder what if even moderate (not minor) turbulence.
And I think that the cabin crew would also appreciate such a change, putting an end to that ersatz feeling of business class, because there it may be possible to dine normally, understandable.
Cattle class is what it is, so sandwich bar class please. (at least for me….)
I join you completely. I would let them make the flights cheaper and give everyone some sandwiches and a bottle of water before boarding.
I sit on the plane reading a book and then take a sleeping pill. I'd rather they leave me alone. It's always such a hassle with those food carts through those narrow aisles and waiting before they come to clean up again when you can't go anywhere. Always a hassle to get everything on that imaginary table.
In the end, flying is always a sour apple that you have to go through anyway. I'm not flying to have a nice meal, but rather so that I don't have a choice to get from A to B.
Why don't you bring a few sandwiches and politely decline the meal.
For most people, the meal is a welcome change on the flight.
I always enjoy that meal, no matter how simple it is.
Agree, on a flight of 11-12 hours I like something warm. Even if it is not a culinary tour de force. Would they serve sandwiches, they should also go around with a cart or basket. Having everyone come to the galley (or whatever it's called) to get food and drinks won't be the airliner's thing either. Nor that everyone just presses the service button. Standard rounds with the food + drink trolley cannot be avoided.
It won't do much for the price either, that costs as much as a microwave meal, say about 4 euros. Unless you get really skimpy budget sandwiches, you're not going to save more than a few cents by replacing hot food with sandwiches. Gamble: there is more to be achieved in terms of cost savings if people no longer serve drinks except water. Can you take a few euros off your ticket. Have a look at EuroWings, where you can fly with or without drinks.
The only TASTY meal I've ever eaten has been with Martin Air.
Mashed potatoes with spinach.
For the rest, I have never found the food on board the plane more than "you can eat it, but no more than that".
Personally, I would be in favor of an option for sandwiches.
Probably cheaper than meals and easy for the staff
And if the sandwiches are well wrapped, you can also save them for later on the flight, if you are not hungry yet, because you already ate something at the airport.
Well Ruud,
Then you are not a culinary connoisseur!
Until I was 10 years old, I was allowed to choose what the whole (9 people) family could eat on my birthday.
What do you think: I chose spinach with puree and I was the only member of the family to receive “soldiers”, which is stale bread, cut into strips and baked.
That was fun, but in the meantime I have grown a bit further and enjoy my lobster at EVAair on my flights to BKK.
But if you want, you can just take sandwiches, topped to your own taste, on board.
Bon appetit and welcome to Thailand
In recent years I fly Business and always try to fly 1 of the 5 * airlines. Two weeks ago I flew to TH with Singapore Airlines. MY personal opinion, having flown with Ethiad, Emirates, Cathay Pacific, Qatar and now Singapore Airlines in recent years, I think Qatar is head and shoulders above the rest in terms of catering and serving. large A la carte choice, eat when you want, and the Al Mourjan Business lounge in Doha is also top for me.
Indeed JAN, for us also Qatar. Beautifully served with a candle, fantastic dishes and ditto wines / aperitifs / digestifs. Last time I thought the dessert was sublime, with a smile I was offered a second one, which I of course accepted with great pleasure 🙂 Only praise for Qatar's catering!
I regularly fly with Thai Airways and am always very satisfied with the service and the meals served! Taking into account that you are not in a first class restaurant, but I have never had any complaints!! Food, drinks, snacks, everything to your liking and certainly also the service!!! You have people who always complain!!
I have a very sensitive stomach, partly due to nerves. Just smelling the scent makes me nauseous! So for me I prefer sandwiches. My experience has taught me to always take a supply of soft rolls with me, even to cover unforeseen delays...
I myself swear by the meals from Emirates and if you get an upgrade to Business in the 380-800 now you feel just like in a luxury restaurant and it remains special to enjoy a drink and snacks at a height of 13 kilometers at the bar.
Smile Airways and Macau Airlines were also fine.
We regularly fly with Qatar Airways from Paris to Chiang Mai and the food is very good as well
the economy seats are the most spacious. See also Seatguru.com. All European airlines are much worse. And Qatar is often cheaper too! Are there also 5-star airlines in Europe?
Yes dear Gringo, those meals, it's something for me. I immediately believe that there are some airlines that score a little better or a little less. But, I know a thing or two about cooking, I was once a certified chef, believe me, much of the appreciation is with the recipient. I have often heard people grumbling around me on the plane before they even had the meal in front of them, let alone tasted it. Those who grumble in advance are never good food. Or like a spell that once read somewhere; Anyone who laughs in advance will never come up with a complaint.
Cooking for airplanes is a very tricky challenge. never anything with a bone in it, because making a stopover with someone with a bone in the throat is a bit awkward. Certain color combinations clash with Chinese superstition. if there was just a scandal about eggs in the news, for example, you won't see eggs on the menu for weeks. etc.. Now the experience of a meal is influenced by many factors. We therefore eat with our mouth, nose, but certainly also with our eyes. Anyone who immediately makes a mess of their tray also makes the meal less attractive. It also applies elsewhere, but certainly in airplanes, eat more slowly, with more attention, actually chew, and it will already taste better because indeed at that altitude, in a pressurized cabin, mouth and nose do not work as normal. People also deliberately cook with very little salt (even for reviews in trade magazines), so it is not bad to add some salt in the air. I often see around me that people have no idea which container has been devised in which order, and people do not always understand that that bottle contains a dressing that can be poured over the lettuce, for example. I've seen someone pour that dressing over their steamed white rice. Yes, it is not surprising that the food then tastes strange. But we always get a map in advance with what we get to eat during the flight and that map already shows the order of the hot meal intended by the kitchen.
and then you read, for example, that a green salad with a dressing comes as a side dish next to the main course.
I have a large build, can hardly eat normally so as not to bother the neighbors with my elbows. So I have to be very careful. Well, I'm in no hurry. the plane won't fly faster if I wait for the neighbors to finish their dinner. And I often marvel at how people actually attack on that tray, eating quickly and greedily, all mixed up sometimes. I suspect that there is a kind of unrest behind it that also makes it difficult for the cooks to satisfy those people in advance. And people who would rather just get some sandwiches? If you ask for it, you will get it. There are always sandwiches on board for long flights. But beware, if you don't get a hot meal or a nice hot breakfast on your next flight, but only some sandwiches…then people will complain about that.
My first two times to Thailand I flew with China Airlines. at the time they still offered larger seats for a very reasonable additional price. An intermediate class for the time, I think 390 guilders extra per return. That luxury was unprecedented. Would I like a glass of champagne before takeoff? And then I was given the choice of 5 types. I ordered the mysterious Chinese dishes, which turned out to be fantastic. and after coffee or tea there was a variety of digestifs. Those were real top meals. those times will be over for people with a normal scholarship.
Satisfaction is largely a mindset. by the time I can already smell the meal, I deliberately make some anticipation. I naively tell myself that I look forward to the meal and like to be pampered. And believe me, everything tastes better afterwards.
Enjoy your meal
In all my years of flying, I've only ever had food that I really didn't like.
Was forced to book a flight with Kuwait Airlines (in 1998) and the only thing they offered was rice with goat meat.
Other than that, never really had a complaint.
We used to be taught at home “Eat what the potluck” and otherwise you are out of luck.
I sometimes have trouble with that in TH, that everyone wants to eat something different and there usually have to be 3 or 4 things on the table, also at home, but that's another discussion 🙂
Have flown with Qatar Airways for the last 3 years. The food and further care are remarkably good for me.
The food on board is completely secondary for me, it is at most an aid to pass the time. A simple sandwich with toppings would be more than enough for me. The main thing is a safe flight and peaceful fellow passengers. I simply eat the best food at home! Second, a simple but decent restaurant. Of course there are people who can afford to fly business class on a regular basis and like to show off the 5 star meals they apparently get there, but as far as I know no airline chef has even acquired a single Michelin star.
My wife earns at least 6 stars daily, to the regret of those who envy it.
I don't like that hassle with those food carts between courses. I don't like eating with my imagined plate on my knees either. Usually I take a fat sleeping pill and just prefer to be left alone.
For me they were allowed to give everyone a packed lunch style cheese sandwich and a bottle of water when boarding. Could they lower the price of the flights a bit?
This does not alter the fact that I respect the meals, which are often certainly not bad and are prepared in a very well-thought-out manner. But I'm not really interested in it and I don't need it. On an airplane I eat and drink as little as possible.
I have been flying with Eva Air to Bangkok for 15 years and have never had any complaints about the food (hot and cold) is simply excellent and it is also a nice bonus that you have a break from the long flight.
As some say, just a sandwich doesn't seem right to me on a long haul flight, but for short flights it can.
“”PAST”” China-Airlines that was a pleasure !!
If Airasia starts selling their airplane food in restaurants I hope it happens soon for them. The hoin food they serve on e.g. Chiang Mai-KL made me and my family sick to the bone, and the complaint was laughed off by the cabin crew. I will never fly with them again even if they are cheaper, which is not always the case, I would rather fly and lose a few hours than risk my health and those of my loved ones. It is truly the worst airline in all of Asia.
Recently received excellent food during a flight with Eva Air Amsterdam to BKK.
Always let me be surprised what comes to eat. I just wish all those companies would finally serve everything in cardboard. Cardboard is very good in the microwave and cups of coffee and lemonade are also available on the floor in cardboard. Every cup of water is in plastic, straws everywhere and plastic stir sticks.
Everything in plastic!!!!!!
Which society starts with plastic-free or reusable material???
KLM in particular could take an exemplary role because this airline surpasses most others.
In this time when many are still thinking and doing about a world without plastic soup.
Even the 7elevens here in Thailand stop putting a plastic bag around everything.
Come on…..who starts???
Another anecdote from the old box: in the past you could fly directly from Düsseldorf to Bangkok with LTU. On one of those trips where I was alone I sat next to a nice Thai guy. When the meals were served (in a German “grundliche” way) you should have seen the face of that fellow Thai passenger! There was really nothing he would like: rye bread with cheese. I didn't like it too much but I could still get it out. For the Thais this was really a bridge too far.
Incidentally, I think the quality of airplane meals has improved a lot in recent years. A welcome break. Just a pity that if you are in the back of the plane, the choice of meals is often exhausted.
I like the food, but the bag with cutlery is difficult to open. The lack of a comfortable position in your chair would hurt, but yes ... place is mony!!!
Lionel.
We have been flying with Emirates for several years. Stretch your legs in Dubai.
The choice for the different diets is very extensive, but a normal meal is also usually fine.
Should also fly "free" through a transfer Business class. It was like being in a XNUMX star restaurant.
Flew to Canada with star class martinair 20 years ago. There was a choice between fish or meat. However, once our turn only fish. There was nothing else. Fish against my will, and then very sick. No sorry, nothing at all. I shouldn't have eaten.
My vacation starts on the plane, and I'm enjoying it! The nuts with a beer beforehand, then the hot meal with a glass of wine or two, delicious! In the night regularly to the kitchen for drinks and tasty sandwiches, can't sleep on the plane. Time for breakfast, delicious too! In short, enjoy all the food and drink on board, after all you have already paid for it!