Ten Interesting Things You Should Know About Airplane Food

Ten Interesting Things You Should Know About Airplane Food

Sitting comfortably in a metal tube throttling through the sky at 30,000 feet above the ground is not something your body is ever fully prepared for. That is why you need food while airborne. If you refuse to eat aeroplane food, you may suffer from low blood sugar causing lethargy and mood swings, so if you don’t like airline food, at least carry your own food. The problem is that aeroplane food, whether in first-class or coach really doesn’t taste the same as your favourite food on the ground. So, why is eating while airborne so interesting? Here are some facts you should know.

The Food Is Prepared On The Ground

Yes, the food is served hot but there is actually no working kitchen in aeroplanes. Open flames are not allowed on the aeroplane which is why smoking is also banned in all areas. It is therefore mandatory for the airlines to make their orders and pack all the food they need for each flight on the ground. Airline catering is now a big industry with big players such as LSG Sky Chefs making billions of dollars by preparing food for airlines. The airline’s contract restaurants near the airport to prepare the meals that passengers will need on the flight.

You Can Ask For A Refill

Why don’t people ask for extra food while aboard? Well, you can actually ask for it if you need more. Most flight attendants won’t tell you but the snacks on the plane are unlimited, you can have as many as you want. The food onboard doesn’t taste so good for most people though so many won’t bother asking for more.

Your Taste For Salt Is Affected While You Are Airborne

Inflight meals rarely have enough salt. Not because airlines don’t put enough salt but it actually has a lot to do with your taste buds. When you are airborne, your taste for salt is dulled which is why you may feel the food doesn’t have sufficient salt. Some airlines make up for the difference by intentionally putting more salt in inflight meals.

Flight Delays Affect Food Quality

Flight delays are expensive for airlines because food orders don’t adhere to these delays. When a flight is delayed, food may go stale because airlines have no way of preserving all that food on board. If the flight didn’t delay for too long, the airline may not dump the food so passengers will eat less fresh food. The food on the airlines is never that fresh anyways and if flight delays go for over an hour or two, the airlines just dump the food and that can be very costly.

Ten Interesting Things You Should Know About Airplane Food

Pilots Eat Different Foods

Imagine your pilot having food poisoning while airborne? Worse still, imagine both pilots suffering food poisoning! Well, airlines don’t want that so they have special meals prepared for pilots. The pilot and the co-pilot eat different foods so that if one suffers food poisoning or worse, the other one won’t be affected. On long flights, some airlines mitigate the problem by serving one pilot with food from the first-class menu and the other with the business class menu.

Sauce Can Help with The Food Taste

Humidity in the aeroplane isn’t always the best which is your sinuses and mouth feel dry while you are flying. The low humidity also dries out the food causing it to feel less tasty. If you can have saucy meals, then you will have a better experience which is why you should order saucy meats if they are offered onboard. Spices can also help improve your taste.

Carry Your Own Bottled Water

Having bottled water for all the passengers on board is a huge extra expense that most airlines don’t want to incur so they use the tap water on board. The water is stored in tanks which have been the centre of controversy for years. While government regulations require that plane water tanks be washed as regularly as possible to keep the water safe for human consumption, most airlines just don’t wash them that regularly. When bottled water runs out on board, the attendants will serve you tap water from those tanks which aren’t the best.

Wearing Headphones While Eating Will Improved the Taste of Food

The noise in the cabin affects your taste of food and it can all be changed by keeping the noise out. Some airlines are getting creative by giving passengers the option to listen to certain playlists during mealtime. Whatever you choose, just make sure you have sonic headphones on when eating because it will help you like your food better.

Ten Interesting Things You Should Know About Airplane Food

Tomato Juice And Fruity Wines Actually Taste Better in The Air

Airlines spend a lot of money on wine because palates change at high altitudes and that affects how people taste wines. To mitigate these circumstances, airlines sample wines based on advice from wine experts to choose the ones that will taste the best inflight. Most airlines serve fruity and fragrant wines. Airlines also serve tomato juice on board because, for some reason, it tastes better on board.

There Are No Microwaves

Aeroplanes don’t have proper kitchens and that doesn’t stop at open flames. There are no microwaves onboard either so the hot food you receive doesn’t come from some giant microwave. The flight attendants heat the food by blowing hot air over it from an onboard oven and that is the reason why they can’t do much about the dryness.

What is the best airline food you have tasted? Do you know anything else about it? Why not tell us in the comments below. 

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