The Secret World of Airline Food

A friend of mine recently recalled a story about booking a trans-Atlantic flight for someone else. She was gleeful about it. That’s because she pre-ordered the “kid’s meal” for her adult friend.

I laughed out loud when I heard about it, imagining an airline attendant setting down a colorful “Happy Meal”-like box in front of a grown man, saying, “Here is your children’s meal, sir.” Inside the box, he was likely to find a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a pack of M&Ms and, perhaps, some French fries. Which might actually be better than the glop we’re usually relegated to eating on airplanes.

Airline food can’t seem to catch a break. It’s the punching bag of the flying experience. But I may have recently found a solution. I’m in Belgium at the moment, gawking at the procession of the Holy Blood in Bruges (don’t ask), but thanks to a friend of a friend I was able to stop by the Brussels outpost of Gate Gourmet, the world’s largest airline catering service. (Yes, hanging out at such places is what I sometimes do in my spare time.) I met up with Erik Deleersnijder, who gave me a tour of the facilities. I watched hair-netted workers slice, dice, chop, and package airline food.

It wasn’t the most enlightening experience. But then Deleersnijder tipped me off on something interesting about airline food. “The palate grows practically numb when it’s 35,000 feet in the sky,” he said. “That’s why everyone says all airline food tastes the same. For that reason we heavily salt and spice the food we make.”

Ah hah! Therein lies the solution to bland airline food: order an ethnic meal, which more times than not calls for certain spices that will re-activate your taste buds. United’s Muslim meal, for example, comes with stewed tomatoes and chickpeas. On another route, expect poached fish with curry and dal. Likewise, United’s Hindu meal has promise: basmati rice and veggies topped with a spicy masala sauce.

And you can take things one step further by flying a foreign airline. I flew Jet Airways, an Indian carrier, to Brussels and, even though I was nowhere near India (and wasn’t going there), I ate delicious Indian fare the entire way. So long, bland, rubbery chicken. Hello, chicken tikka masala.

Or, you can always let my friend book your flight and wait for the surprise that will be delivered to your tray table.

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