Here’s a tip that works.
A flight attendant admitted that there is a “seating strategy” when it comes to food service on airplanes – and that some rows have an advantage over others.
“Often, meal service starts at the front of the cabin and then moves to the back,” Joyce Chan of Cathay Pacific recently told Delish.
“If you choose a seat further forward, you are more likely to be served sooner.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, front-row passengers in higher class also have more meal choices, which they can pre-order according to their preferences, she added.
And the opposite can be true for people in the back seats in economy class, as they are sometimes forced to make do with what’s left when they finally get to the food service.
That’s why travel and gastronomy expert Melissa Leong recommends bringing your own food from home – or at least doing some research beforehand.
“Having an idea of what you might be served will help you decide whether it’s best to pack your own snacks or just sit back and enjoy the inflight service as it is,” she wrote last fall.
“Mini Magnums for dessert? Yes. A dish whose individual ingredients can no longer be distinguished? Maybe it’s better to do without.”
She suggests packing sweet and savory snacks, as well as yogurt or fruit smoothies, in small containers to bypass safety restrictions.
However, if you absolutely must eat something on the plane, Charles Spence, an experimental psychologist at the University of Oxford who studies the effect of environment on the sense of taste, has some recommendations for you.
“Anything with umami flavor, so parmesan cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes, etc., and of course a Bloody Mary because the tomatoes and Worcestershire sauce provide a double dose of umami,” he previously told the Post.
As for drinking, opt for wine made at high altitude rather than sea level, as it will taste similar at cruising altitude.
“I would also choose wines with a sweet, fruity aroma as these may stand up better to atmospheric conditions than a tannic, oak-aged wine,” Spence added.
