Having in my time dined in a number of Navy wardrooms afloat and ashore and a selection of messes (a term often descriptive of the offerings therefrom), eaten C Rations and "10 in 1s", and been exposed to past and current manifestations of Economy Class airline meals, my perspective is colored by experience and the firm conclusion that those who find current offerings appealing are in substantial need of the services of competent psychiatrists/psychologists.

The best Economy meals of my memory are from long ago, open-faced sandwiches on SAS (and was it Finnair?), and the simple "comfort food" soups on Piedmont.

As for steak, the mere carrying of steaks aboard a/c is a crime against humanity (or at least the portion of humanity before which they are set down as entrees, even those in the front of the bus). Comparing airline "steaks" to a basic and minimal quality inherent in a good steak leaves the airline varieties in the lurch and far in trail.

Wine? Just because it's French doesn't make it good, just as in the 80s some notable names in California Cabernets fell into the rut of offering bottlings so heavy and overwhelming as to be almost undrinkable as an accompaniment for meals. These days, it seems to be Chardonnay (a French word which can be translated as "Pig Swill"), bottled and sold in grotesque quantities, labeled with all the artifice of the marketing arts, and foisted upon the general and traveling public as something they ought to consume and enjoy. I don't. Wines, no matter their price, origin, shade or varietal or combination thereof, ought to complement and compliment the food they accompany.

Bread is the staff of life, and thousands of years of baking have brought to man products which cover a broad spectrum from the inedibly nasty to the incredibly satisfying. For whatever causes, storage and transportability issues most likely, the likelihood of encountering good bread in Y ranks slightly behind the odds of a zebra capturing a major stakes race. Even up front, bakery products are rarely more than barely acceptable and not at all memorable.

I know that the palettes of the chefs and planners are limited, but even a fast food restaurant which served food equal in quality to most airlines' Economy offerings would have shut down within months of its opening.

I can only conclude that folks who applaud current airline food eat Wendy's chili regularly and believe that beneath that glob of semi-molten flavored and tinted wallpaper paste in a "Philly Cheesesteak" there actually lurks a substance which might be called "steak". If medical science is unable to cure or alleviate their conditions, institutionalization and institutional food will likely titillate their dulled taste buds.