Chicken or Beef?

Photo courtesy Airlinemeals.net

Ahhh….airline food. You either love it or hate it. I happen to LOVE airline food, its one of the highlights of flying I reckon – the excitement of heading to the airport knowing you’re about to start on your holiday; the anticipation of getting on the plane and praying you don’t end up next to a smelly fat guy or a family with two howling toddlers; and of course what surprises lay ahead when you see the flight crew wheel the food trolley down the aisle.

Unfortunately nowadays being fed on any flight is pretty hard to come by, unless you’re on a long haul flight or lucky enough to be in business class. Gone are the days when even on a 2 hour flight you would be served a meal fit for a king, even in coach class. Now US domestic flights typically serve a packet of pretzels and a beverage, and that’s it.

But when you do get fed - bliss! Each course neatly packed into its own little container and beautifully presented on a tray. So compact, you would think there couldn’t possibly be enough food to fill you up, but it always does. Of course the presentation isn’t on par with bento boxes, but I think given the conditions its close enough for me.

In one of those “Why didn’t I think of that?” moments, the New York Times has published an article about a website devoted entirely to photos of airline meals. Ever wondered what the flight crew eat on flights? What cuisine is served on a first class flight from JFK to LHR? What they serve on Uzbekistan Airways? Well airlinemeals.net is the site for you. There are thousands of photos and you can contribute your own too, with the best photo of the week posted on the site’s main page.

I’ll have the chicken, thanks.