I know this gets brought up a lot. But seriously, what is the deal with airplane food?
It’s always horrible, and tasteless, and features some frankly bizarre choices.
Like the butter you get is always a frozen solid block. Wanna try warming it up by placing it on the cover of the hot section? Congratulations, you now have a a pool of grease over your lap.
And why are there always so many ‘bits?’ Do I really need a starter, main, pudding, AND a bread roll AND fruit juice AND a cup of tea? I’ve been on flights before where this is all followed an hour or two later by a wrap, a bag of crisps, and a Gü yoghurt. Why? Why does that happen? Just gimme a sandwich; I’ll live.
It’s always nice when the airline tries to make an effort and offer something exotic – like a curry. But it still ends up being all bland and horrible. But wait, is there a good reason for this?
SCIENCE
So apparently your taste buds are less, erm, good at tasting things at higher altitudes? And this means that airlines have to adapt their meals. Which is why they taste weird.
But that’s not all! It’s not just the altitude. The dryness of the cabin has an effect too, which makes you feel all thirsty. Your nose also gets all dried out, which has a negative effect on your olfactory senses.
I’ve also read that the noise on planes can have an impact too. Basically, the idea is that it’s so noisy that you enjoy your food less. Cool, huh?
So, to answer the question of what the deal of airplane food is…
- Altitude affects your taste buds.
- You get all dried out.
- It’s noisy.
- Airlines try to counteract the above by changing the recipes. And it all ends up kind of weird.
THAT’S THE DEAL WITH AIRPLANE FOOD, GUYS!
Still doesn’t explain the bizarre portion sizes though…