You don’t want a bite-mare at 30,000 feet.
Perusing bland and dubious airplane menus often feels less like ordering at a restaurant and more like finding the option that’ll do the least damage. Fortunately, One Mile At A Time contributor Ben Shlappig has provided expert tips on navigating the inflight meal minefield — so passengers can enjoy their vittles and perhaps avoid tummy turbulence.
“I’d like to share my general thought process when it comes to deciding what to order onboard flights for travel in premium cabins,” the travel buff wrote.
Shlappig prefaced the post by noting that he preferred fish and veggies, but also dined on “chicken once a week, and maybe have a steak once every couple of months.” He declared that he abstained from pork due to pigs’ cuteness and intelligence, ultimately dubbing himself a “lazy pescatarian.”
Rule number one of supping in the sky? Don’t treat it like a gourmet eatery with wings. “Consider the realities of airplane food,” the flight writer declared. “Food isn’t cooked on planes, but rather the food is prepared in a catering facility many hours before you actually consume it, and is then reheated in the galley.”
Shlappig advises thinking of airplane food of airplane food like “leftovers,” claiming, “if you go to a restaurant and bring food home, what’s going to reheat best, and taste best the next day?”
Some examples, per the airplane aficionado, include Emirates’ unlimited first class caviar service, or, for the non-jet setters, “soup, curry, and/or Asian vegetarian dishes” because they “reheat extremely well.”
“I love Indian food, and when I order takeout, it tastes every bit as good the next day as when it arrives,” Shlappig declared. “The same principle applies to planes, in my opinion.”
In general, the airline’s signature dish is generally a safe bet, per the writer, who ranked the chicken satay on Singapore Airlines and Emirates’ Arabic Mezze with pita bread, tabouleh, and baba ghanouj among his favorites.
Shlapping also somewhat shockingly advises forgoing the entrée. “Typically, airlines serve way more food in premium cabins than I can eat,” he explained. “So if I have to prioritize what I’m going to eat, I tend to think that it’s often worth just avoiding the main courses.”
Instead, on an airline like Lufthansa, he says he’ll often just choose an appetizer and dessert.
The late great chef and travel host Anthony Bourdain once advised people to avoid eating seafood on a Monday as that’s when restaurants are having their fish fire sales so to speak.
Shlappig says the same holds true for fish on an airplane — advice many experts concur with.
Etiquette coach Jamila Musayeva also suggested steering clear of seafood in the sky as, along with emitting “pungent smells in a confined space,” there’s a higher risk of spoilage or foodborne illness if the meal hasn’t been stored properly.
However, Shlappig says he neglects this golden rule on account of his pescatarian leanings leaving him few other options in flight.
“It’s challenging to serve a good fish dish on a plane, yet more often than not, that’s what I select as my main course in situations where I order one,” he wrote. “Why? It just comes down to the fact that I generally avoid eating meat, and that often leaves the option between fish and pasta.”
And pasta, he notes, is not terribly nutritious.
As for domestic flights, the health-conscious Shlappig tends to stick with options like the grain bowl because domestic airline’s first class food budgets extremely low.
He added that if he’s going to go off the wagon and have a “super unhealthy meal or have meat, it’s not going to be on a flight where I’m enjoying a $4 short rib and mac and cheese dish.”
Lastly, don’t eat the burgers as they can’t be reheated well and use “low-quality meat,” per Shlappig.
