A passenger brought their own picnic on board a flight, laid out a table cloth and even a battery-powered candle. They had a table tent with their name. And then they laid out a charcuterie board with sliced meat, cheese, crackers, pickles and it looks like maybe some mustard?
People often forget that you can bring your own food on a plane! You don’t have to buy it at the airport. Most airport food is horrible, anyway!
Unfortunately, pâté and mustard (indeed, anything spreadable) is treated as a liquid by TSA so you’ll need to limit that to 100 milliliter packages, and one quarter total (your clear plastic freedom baggie). If you’re a little more low country, just remember that (to TSA) peanut butter is a liquid.
I’ll never forget a flight from Baltimore to Phoenix about 24 years ago. My boss was seated in the aisle, turns around and offers some food. “Pâté?” he asks.
This was way better than buying lunch at the airport. Airport restaurants are generally bad.
- Airport space is at a huge premium, you can store very little.
- Knives are usually chained to the wall, and inventoried between shifts.
- Most places are limiting to cooking with electric, not gas.
- You can’t just bring supplies down the airport corridors when you need them. Items need to clear security.
- It’s often a third party that’s engaged to do that, and it has to happen at off hours.
- Working with the third party can make sourcing ingredients challenging.
- Customers have varied tastes and need to be served quickly.
- Despite the high rents and challenging operating environment airports often require ‘street pricing’ (charge the same in the airport, perhaps plus 10%, versus what same item would cost on the outside).
- And it’s not even the restaurant that’s managing the operation, usually they are licensing the concept. Usually it’s just one company for the entire terminal. You may see their brand on uniforms or name tags, but that restaurant name you know is probably Delaware North, HMSHost or OTG.
Now, your tastes buds up in the air are dulled by cabin pressurization, low humidity, and noise. For years I’ve recommended tomato juice as an onboard drink as a result, with the added benefit that it’s an excellent source of vitamin C and vodka.
So consider salty foods, and interesting textures. And if you want to eat well on a plane, bring your own food or pick up Tortas Frontera at Chicago O’Hare.
I would happily pay for this whether in F or Y. Especially in Y something like this would mitigate the pin faster than Woodford Reserve.
Airlines have captive audiences – I think fairly priced spreads like this would go well appreciated.
I went to the Chick-Fil-A at IAH B terminal not long ago, thinking it was old reliable. I am about 99% sure they were not using actual CFA nuggets. Even allowing for the fact that the nuggets had obviously been sitting around for a while and then I took them to another part of the rather voluminous terminal before eating them – they were so heavily breaded, in a way that CFA nuggets just aren’t. The shape and color were all wrong too. It was unbelievable.
Tortas at Ohare!!! Best food in an airport by far!
@ Gary — Now THAT looks premium, unlike Delta.
I still have Sbarro’s pizza stuck in my colon from 2016
“Now, your tastes buds up in the air are dulled by cabin pressurization, low humidity, and noise. For years I’ve recommended tomato juice as an onboard drink as a result, with the added benefit that it’s an excellent source of vitamin C and vodka.”
Who knew that tomato juice has vodka in it?
Looks like F wasn’t F enough they had to bring on board.
@William: While I would think that a company with as tight of a grip on its brand as CFA would strictly control the supply chain for its namesake product, there is at least one example of an airport CFA location deviating from brand standards – the DCA outpost serves Pepsi, which would be an unforgiveable offense to many loyalists.
Tomato juice does not have vodka in it like it has vitamin C
seems like the joke there was obvious
Sitting in First Class as well.
At least this post didn’t try another reco of the over rated Tortas Fronteras which is right up there with Briggs and Riley in the ‘perfectly fine, but not as outstanding as it’s made out to be’ camp.
I have not had bad food at an airport, just kind of so so food but some good food. Most is better than the food I had on USA airlines but some isn’t as good as I have had on Asian airlines. A little order and take away restaurant in Singapore Changi International Airport had great Chinese food. I usually get pretty good Buffalo style chicken wings at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. I thought that the sushi I got at Haneda Airport (Tokyo International Airport) was pretty good. I got there early and had one chef making it just for me.
Pretty classy indeed. I used to do this all the time when we’d book 3 seats in coach. Wish I had thought of the candle and perhaps bud vase.
Tomato juice has vodka in it! It’s my go to drink from now!
Oh the emphasis placed on food in these blogs! You guys would all be better off reviewing restaurants. You’d probably be happier for airplanes are for flying, transportation. Restaurants make food for your dining pleasure. Let’s go hop on a plane for the dining experience!
Peanut butter is a liquid to TSA. Can we end the madness of TSA security theater? They’re only keeping us safe from peanut butter and hairspray. A huge waste of time and money.
#defundTSA
#disbandTSA