will the food be less awful ex-IST?
 

Flew ORD-IST in economy. Tasteless, high-density meatballs---chicken may be boring but mystery meat is worse. ('Ground' beef is common in Turkish cooking, of course, but the stuff in Turkey is frequently chopped rather than ground, and much tastier. Of course there are also disgusting kababs in the tourist areas.)

Before landing, an omlette so rubbery it made squeaking noises against my teeth as I tried to eat it. I soon stopped eating it.

Will the food be better on my return flight, with ex-IST catering? Is it a good idea to request SFML or FPML?

will the food be less awful ex-IST?
 

TK food has been pretty decent. Maybe ORD is outstation hence crappy food quality. IST should be pretty good, it's DO&CO. You should by the TK lounge to eat up before your long haul. Food is always good there :)

Agree with you.... I have not been ex-ORD before, but ex-LAX is very good too. And yea, go to IST lounge for lunch/dinner!!!!!

Many thanks for the feedback (not including the FT-style 'name-dropping' about how you get to eat in the lounge).

I ordered the SFML on the way back (IST-ORD economy), and since the regular meal was ground beef yet again, it was a smart choice. Both meals (swordfish first meal, salmon second meal) were perfectly edible, although serving smoked salmon appetizer along with grilled salmon entree is not so thoughtful.

The service was not as good as the food---the FA knew I had a special meal, but handed me the type of meal she assumed I wanted based on my ethnicity. The printed labels were ignored.