Airplane Food
I’m on a Jet Blue flight, coming home after two days of meetings with magazine food editors, previewing a new line of barbecue tools, fuels and accessories designed by barbecue guru Steven Raichlen for The Companion Group. Steven, star of the PBS show Barbecue University and the author of a number of barbecue books, including the best-selling Barbecue Bible, explained the genesis of the new cool tools to editors and demonstrated how they work. The meetings had been a resounding success.
Now I’m on my favorite airline with its door-to-door TV (contrary to expectations, I watchHGTV and the History Channel instead of the Food Network), blue Tera Chips and flight attendants who actually help you hoist your bags into the overhead compartment (mine aren’t heavy — I just need to grow a few more inches to reach the bin).
Unlike other airlines that purported to serve meals, Jet Blue never had that aspiration. The best thing that has happened to domestic coach class airline food is seeing it disappear. Did we really need disgustingly flabby, rubber chicken with artificial grill marks, swimming in salty tomato sauce, accompanied with mixed frozen veggies?
I’m glad airlines have given up on meal service. However, it still leaves us with a question: what to bring on board for lunch?
I like to be prepared for a long flight. I make sure to sync my iPod so I have lots of new podcasts to listen to, as well as new CDs, and I download an e-book on my PDA for something to read. For my lunch, I prefer to get a high-quality, freeze-able baguette sandwich the day before, such as prosciutto and figs on a walnut baguette from the boulangerie in my neighborhood. I seal securely in Glad Press ‘n Seal sealable wrap, and pop it in my freezer. A note to myself, “sandwich,” on my suitcase means I won’t forget to collect my meal on my way to the airport in the wee hours of the morning.
Since I often take a very early flight, before restaurants are open, I find this is a great way to ensure that I have a proper meal on board. I don’t like to get anything at the airport since lines often are long and the food is rarely good.
One of the best airline meals I’ve ever had was a Southeast Asian noodle salad, which I picked up in Kona at Amy Ferguson Ota’s restaurant, Oodles of Noodles, in Kailua. Laced with chopped fresh herbs, the salad was fragrant and irresistibly fresh — and everyone in the vicinity of my seat, including the flight attendants, was envious.
So, why can’t:
- Good restaurants make up meals to go, ready for pick-up by air travelers; this would be especially a great niche for restaurants near hotels or the airport
- Hotels have room service orders for meals to go — delivered to your room before you check out
- Food manufacturers make high-quality frozen sandwiches for regular lunchbox and airline flights; I didn’t think we needed frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but we could use ham with herb butter on a baguette
- 24-hour supermarket delis prepare box lunches for travelers; you’d order in advance and pick it up on your way to the airport — lunch boxes with good things to eat, like a trio of delicious salads.
The trick to servicing this niche sector is ensuring delivery that is fast, efficient and convenient. And offerings must be compact — especially compact, because these lunch packages have to fit in briefcases or carry-on bags. If various market sectors would focus on meeting the needs of airline travelers, I bet we can find ways to dine pretty well in the air — certainly better than the cattle car fare we were subjected to in the days of airline food.
I’m game.
INSIGHT: Eating is non-negotiable — even in the air — so there’s an untapped need, waiting to be filled.
