<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by nor4:
I tried Googling obento but got descriptions which basically said it was a lunch box meal. I suspect there's more to it than that.
Anybody have some insights into why one should order an obento meal? Or why not?</font>
See airlinemeals.net under United Airlines. I think I posted a few a month back.
You will not get the standard appetizer selection - which is usually quite tasty, but will get the Japanese (Obento - lunch box) version - small pieces of raw fish, cold noodles. This is followed by a main course (usually a fish or beef main course, some small veggie dishes, pickles, and rice).
Whether you like it or not is a matter of preference, but Obento is usually better than the western dishes (usually fillet mignon that is inedible or a pasta or chicken breast fillet something). Obento is by far the most popular meal on the 40+ flights I've flown in UA C (800/801/852/853). Interestingly, the quality is similar whether its catered out of the US or Japan.
You should have no problem having it as an option as a 1K - they usually run out of it by the time they get around to asking the non-status people.