Just Plane Food

I think I am not making any bold or unique statement when I say that most folks don't enjoy flying these days. At best, air travel is a convenient way to get someplace in less time than it would take to drive there. At worst, it's an uncomfortable, dehumanizing cattle drive.

When I fly I try to re-humanize it as much as possible: I buy trashy magazines, load up my iPod with as many interesting podcasts as I can find, and most importantly, I pack really good food (and lots of it) to eat.

I provision these trips as if if I were off trekking for the next week or so. The new restrictions on liquids, lotions and gels do make it a little harder: can't pack your own beverages (a frozen juice box makes a great cold pack), no yogurt, no PB&J (what has this world come to?). I can still pack a pretty happy flight-time lunchbox, however.

This was to be a long flight (over 6 hours) and had the potential for delays (thunderstorms). In this case I packed one large meal and a generously-portioned snack.

Cocktail hour
Jumbo roasted cashews
Glenlivet on the rocks (purchased on board)

Dinner
Roasted vegetable and prosciutto sandwich on baguette: parsley butter, roasted eggplant and red pepper, prosciutto, lettuce
Carrot and cabbage slaw with lime-mint vinaigrette
Terra chips (on board snack)
Twin Fin 2003 Cabernet (purchased on board)

Dessert
Rainer cherries (those pretty yellow and red ones)
World Peace Cookies

Eating this spread occupied me for the better part of an hour (not to mention making my seatmates really jealous).

About an hour before landing I ate my:

Big pre-landing snack
Cheese and crackers
Dried cherries

A couple rules for on-board dining:

• DO NOT PACK SMELLY FOOD. No matter how good that stinky cheese, kim chee, or smoked fish looks, you will make no friends fast if you stink up the cabin.
• Pack neat food. Soup is a bad idea. Anything too drippy is also pretty unwise. Remember, if you hit turbulence you may end up wearing whatever you pack.
• Pack food that can hold without refrigeration: vegetable and cold cut sandwiches, bean or vegetable salads in acidic dressings, firm cheeses and crackers are all great.
• Bring something for your seatmates. They are probably eating a really stale sandwich from Cibo Express, so make friends if you can. I usually pack extra dessert in preparation for sharing.