I’m hardly a fussy eater. But I struggle to think of a flight where I’ve found the in-air dining options totally unacceptable.
In fact, I would go as far as to say I rather enjoy eating on a plane.
Of course, if you’re flying Business or, I dare to dream, First Class, no doubt the dining experience is more elevated than that of the economy longhaul jaunts.
But regardless, I’m usually more than happy – even excited – to peel back that silver foil and dig into my tray of reheated pasta, bread roll, cube of cheese and fruit salad.
Obviously, no one wants to be eating slop over the course of a nine-hour journey. But I think airplane food has a reputation worse than it deserves.
Surely it’s a little unreasonable to expect a gourmet experience while hurtling through the air at 30,000ft?
You’ve got to consider the journey the food makes to get to us passengers, for one.
Even if you’re sitting upfront, all in-flight food is prepared en masse in a catering facility before it’s repacked, blast-chilled, refrigerated and reheated on board – and every step has an impact on the flavour.
Plane food certainly divides many passengers – with many criticising the options served at 30,000ft
Once the food has made its way to you, the conditions for consumption are hardly favourable either.
On a quest to understand why the quality of airline food is so ‘poor’, an Oxford professor showed that the sensitivity of our tastebuds decreases by 30 per cent when we’re in the air, due to the drop in humidity, air pressure and, surprisingly, the noise of being on a plane.
There are environmental factors to consider, too, such as the lack of social engagement while dining and using disposable cutlery.
So when Qatar Airways announced a ‘gastronomic collaboration’ with French celebrity chef Yannick Alleno, proud custodian of 17 Michelin stars, I couldn’t help but think: what’s the point?
Admittedly, you can read the rave reviews on frequent flyer forum FlyerTalk, praising both the food and the quality of the service.
And maybe I, too, would be wooed by a herb-crusted lamb rack, followed by Pandan crepes with coconut cream.
But in almost every instance, any culinary praise is immediately undercut by a qualification.
‘This black cod might be one of the best things I’ve ever eaten in the air,’ says one. Another declares the caviar ‘the best plane food I’ve ever had’.
For others, being served meals while travelling through the air is a highly positive experience
So even if you’ve had your meal carefully curated by a Michelin-starred chef, and are eating one of the world’s most expensive foodstuffs, it can never really be experienced as anything more than simply just that: ‘plane food’.
I think that’s fair enough. After all, isn’t plane food part of the fun of travelling long-haul?
For me, there’s something almost ritualistic about tucking into tepid chicken, or slightly oily noodles, while drinking wine from a plastic cup.
In fact, you might even see the in-flight culinary purgatory as a great warm-up act for (hopefully) all of the great food that is to come when your destination is eventually reached.
